Dear Subscribers of INCU Newsflash,
Welcome to the INCU Newsflash No.16 – January 2015 We apologise for the extended delay with releasing INCU Newsflash.
This Special Edition of INCU Newsflash is intentionally longer than usual as it covers the INCU’s activities and other developments from August to December 2014.
=== Happy International Customs Day 2015! === On behalf of the INCU, we would like to congratulate you on the occasion of the International Customs Day!
Each year the WCO chooses a theme for the International Customs Day and the rest of the year.
The WCO is dedicating this year to promoting Coordinated Border Management (CBM) under the slogan “Coordinated Border Management – An Inclusive Approach for Connecting Stakeholders”.
See message of the WCO Secretary-General (http://www.wcoomd.org/en/media/newsroom/2015/january/message-of-the-wco-secretary-general-on-international-customs-day-2015.aspx).
The INCU wishes you success in your academic and professional Customs activities and endeavours!
The latest issue of the World Customs Journal Vol. 8 No. 2 (September 2014) has been released.
This edition of the Journal contains three Special Reports including opening remarks by H.E. Ambassador Roberto AzevЙdo, Director-General of the WTO, at the Inaugural INCU Global Conference, and the INCU Baku Resolution that was subsequently passed. The article by Hans-Michael Wolffgang and Edward Kafeero provides a comparison of the provisions of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement with those of the Revised Kyoto Convention and other WCO instruments.
Other contributors in this edition focus on the importance of collaboration among border management agencies including: the use of geospatial intelligence by Customs (John de Belle), examination of the benefits of information exchange (Chang-Ryung Han and Rachel McGauran), ways of improving cooperation between customs and environmental agencies (David Dill and Deborah Kopsick) and, in the context of combating transnational smuggling, the need for appropriate coordination within and across various governmental institutions (Gautam Basu).
See Table of Contents (https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/93615542/INCU/World%20Customs%20Journal/Volume%208%2C%20Number%202%20%28Sep%202014%29/01%20Contents.pdf)
The Journal is currently available in the Members-only area of the INCU website and will be released to the general public in February 2015.
The next edition of the Journal will include further studies in the field of excise, which is emerging as a major source of government revenue for many economies around the world. We will also be formally recognising the first ten years of the INCU.
=== Sudan Customs Delegation Visits INCU Secretariat ===
In August 2014, the office of INCU Secretariat in Canberra, Australia was visited by the delegation of Sudan Customs Administration. The delegation was composed of three senior officials from Sudan Customs including the Director-General:
* Major General Dr. Saifeldin Omer Suliman Ahmed, Director-General, Sudan Customs Authority (and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Academy)
* Major General Dr. Bashir Eltahir Bashir Elgali Director, Khartoum Customs Directorate, Sudan Customs Authority (and Reporter of the Board of Trustees of the Academy)
* Colonel Mr. Ali Giddo Adam Bashr Obeida Director, Planning Directorate, Sudan Customs Authority (and Member of the Board of Trustees of the Academy)
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Professor Wieslaw “Wes” Czyzowicz, who is a member of KGH Border Services International Advisory Board, member of the INCU Advisory Board and former Deputy Finance Minister and Director-General of Polish Customs, recently celebrated his 65th birthday and 45th anniversary of his scientific work.
To celebrate the occasion, the Warsaw School of Economics in collaboration with Polish Customs Service organised the international conference entitled “Customs Policy – Its Essence and Relations to Fundamental Problems of the Contemporary International Trade in Goods”.
The Conference was held from 20 to 21 November 2014 at the Warsaw School of Economics in Warsaw, Poland. The event was attended by a number of distinguished guests including government official, representatives of the private sector and the academia.
There are few people who are as knowledgeable, skilled and passionate about Customs policy as Professor Czyzowicz. Professor Czyzowicz will continue to teach for the benefit of all Customs officers, the private sector and the academic community.
>>
Mr Lars Karlsson is President of KGH Border Services, an international customs capacity building company. He has spent 30 years as a customs leader, specifically involved in reform and modernisation. Lars was the first Director of Capacity Building of the World Customs Organization (2006-2010) where he spearheaded the work of developing capacity building strategies, standards, infrastructure and operational programs, including Columbus and PICARD.
Before joining the WCO, Lars held key positions within Swedish Customs, including as Acting Deputy Director General, Director Customs and Head of ICT, reform and modernisation. Lars has extensive work experience in many countries.
In 2010, Lars Karlsson was appointed as an Honorary Fellow of the International Network of Customs Universities in recognition of his distinguished contribution to the WCO’s PICARD Programme, the INCU and to promoting the academic standing of the Customs profession.
Read/download Book Flyer (http://incu.org/docs/WhenElephantsFly_Flyer.pdf)
To watch a video recording of Lars Karlsson’s book launch at the Inaugural INCU Global Conference, please click on the picture below.
[*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IbTLAp7Alkc&list=UUyg_hiBt9jF6HvvR961M9vg
] The book will be released in early 2015.
=== Upcoming Customs and Trade Related Events ===
*Events of INCU Members, Affiliates and Partners* *31st United Nations Conference on
Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Regional Course on “Key Issues on the International Economic Agenda for Africa” (https://www.dropbox.com/s/xem3ly5j5iwdbhx/165_E_31st_RC_Mauritius.pdf?dl=0)
9-27 February 2015; Reduit, Mauritius.
*2015 World Customs Organization (WCO) IT Conference & Exhibition (http://www.wcoomd.org/en/events/upcoming-events/2015/2015-wco-it-conference-exhibition.aspx)
6-8 May 2015; Bahamas.
*27th European Customs Conference 2015 (http://www.efa-muenster.de/index.php/events/aktuelle-veranstaltungen)
11-12 June 2015; Vienna, Austria.
*2015 World Customs Organization (WCO) 2015 Knowledge Academy (http://www.wcoomd.org/en/events/upcoming-events/2015/2015-knowledge-academy.aspx)
17-26 June 2015; Brussels, Belgium.
*World Customs Organization (WCO) PICARD Conference 2015 (http://www.wcoomd.org/en/events/upcoming-events/2015/wco-picard-conference-2015.aspx)
8-10 September 2015; Baku, Republic of Azerbaijan.
*World Customs Organization (WCO) 5th Technology & Innovation Forum (http://www.wcoomd.org/en/events/upcoming-events/2015/5th-technology-and-innovation-forum.aspx)
27-29 October 2015; Rotterdam, Netherlands.
*Other Events*
*International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and United States Council for International Business (USCIB) Customs and Trade Facilitation Symposium (http://www.iccwbo.org/Training-and-Events/All-events/Events/2015/ICC-and-USCIB-Customs-and-Trade-Facilitation-Symposium/) 22-24 February 2015; Miami, USA.
*Export Control Day (http://www.zar-muenster.de/) 26-27 February 2015; Muenster, Germany.
*International Compliance Professionals Association (ICPA) Annual Conference (http://www.icpainc.org/#upcoming-conferences) 15-19 March 2015; Fort Worth, USA.
*International Air Transport Association (IATA) World Cargo Symposium: Improving the Customer Experience (https://www.dropbox.com/s/g1be3meak6w42gr/iata%202015.pdf?dl=0) 10-12 March 2015; Shanghai, China.
*Auъenwirtschaftsakademie (AWA) Compliance Summit 2015 (http://www.compliance-summit-2015.de/) 18-19 March 2015; Muenster, Germany.
*INTERPOL World 2015 “Supply Chain Security” (http://www.interpol-world.com/supply-chain-security) 14-16 April 2015; Singapore.
*29th International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH) World Ports Conference (https://register.iaph2015.org/) 1-5 June 2015; Hamburg, Germany.
*International Compliance Professional Association (ICPA) EU Compliance Conference 2015 (http://www.icpainc.org/#upcoming-conferences) 7-9 June 2015; Berlin, Germany.
*The 2015 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) International Tax Conference (http://www.uscib.org/index.asp?documentID=3647) 10-11 June 2015; Washington DC, USA.
*International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) 9th World Chambers Congress (http://www.iccwbo.org/chamber-services/world-chambers-congress/about-the-congress/) 10-12 June 2015; Torino, Italy.
*2015 International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) World Congress (http://www.fiata2015.org/) 8-13 September 2015; Taipei, China.
*International Black Sea Transport Forum 2015 (http://www.smc.odessa.ua/index.php/EN/exhibitions/transrail-ukraine) 20-21 October 2015; Odessa, Ukraine.
*13th European Customs Conference (http://www.odasce.asso.fr/website/gb_colloque.htm) 19-20 November 2015; Bordeaux, France.
If you have any publications or items of interest, please let us know and we will circulate those to all INCU Members and Affiliates.
With compliments,
INCU Secretariat
International Network of Customs Universities (INCU)