2015 WCO IT Conference& Exhibition
Inclusiveness Through Information Technologies
– IT for an Inclusive Approach in Connecting Customs and Other Stakeholders in Inter- and Intra-Regional Trade –Bahamas 6-8 May 2015
A three day conference exploring ways in which modern information and communications technology can lead to exciting possibilities for countries to connect to global and regional value chains
Moving to the Americas and Caribbean Region
The WCO IT Conference will be held for the first time in the Caribbean. The WCO is pleased to be working with the Customs and Excise Department, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry for Grand Bahama of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas in organizing this event.
The Bahamas is one of the most beautiful island countries in the Caribbean. It is comprised of 700 islands sprinkled over 100,000 square miles of ocean. The archipelago is an ecological oasis featuring 2,000 breathtaking islands and cays and boasts the clearest water on the planet.
The beauty of the Bahamas extends far beyond its extraordinary natural wonders. It’s the smiles on the faces of the Bahamian people, the unique sounds of its rich culture and the warm hospitality of its heritage and colorful history.
The Role of Information Technologies in Connecting Stakeholders
In order to become more competitive in the regional and global marketplace and to boost intra- and inter-regional trade, countries seek associations with other countries and take steps to achieve regional economic integration. As efficient border management is pertinent for regional integration, Customs administrations and other border agencies play an important role in this process through enhanced cooperation and joint activities, often reflected in long-term regional strategies which focus on trade facilitation, including coordinated border management and single window arrangements, transit, exchange of information, mutual recognition of authorized economic operators and other priorities.
Effective and efficient border management requires connectivity amongst all relevant stakeholders on national, bilateral, regional and global levels. Customs administrations around the world have realized the benefits of enhanced cooperation with other governmental agencies and the trade, and are therefore striving towards collaboration in carrying out everyday operational tasks, as well as in strategic decision making and developing new processes and procedures.
The adoption of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) showcases the political willingness of governments worldwide to invest in trade facilitation and it has made the public aware of the benefits of trade facilitation in easing connections to regional and global value chains. Customs and other stakeholders collectively play a crucial role in bringing these benefits to fruition. The TFA envisages cooperation with other border agencies domestically and internationally, as well as with the private sector. It further encourages the use of international standards and IT support to improve performance at the border.
The 2015 WCO IT Conference will focus on the advantages of inclusiveness of all supply chain stakeholders and how this can help boost intra- and inter-regional trade, with particular emphasis on ways in which information technologies can serve this purpose and mitigate emerging threats.
The Conference will provide a platform for bringing together key partners from Customs administrations, relevant agencies and ministries, regional economic communities, private sector, international organizations, development partners and academia. It will allow sharing experiences and conducting strategic discussions in a plethora of topics of relevance for facilitating and securing the movement of information and goods across borders with the aim of increasing economic competitiveness.
2015 Conference Objectives
- Identify opportunities to augment cross border connectivity for enhanced trade facilitation and regional economic integration.
- Explore areas of synergy amongst relevant stakeholders at different levels.
- Discover how IT models can support strategies for efficient border management.
- Share knowledge on best practices, latest IT solutions and experiences in dealing with emerging issues.
- Bring together decision-makers from more than 100 countries to discuss the implications of IT on parties involved in international trade.
The Exhibition
Held alongside the conference, the exhibition will offer quality networking and marketing opportunities for participants and vendors alike:
- Acquire firsthand information from suppliers and users on trends, technologies and solutions.
- Benefit from an environment providing great promotional and networking opportunities.
- See the latest IT solutions that have been designed specifically for the international Customs and trade market.
Delegates
- Explore “core business” and the many complex questions surrounding how IT solutions can advance the work of Customs and other stakeholders in border regulation.
- Identify opportunities and challenges for the management of IT in Customs.
- Gain insight into current and future IT developments in the Customs, other border agencies and business worlds.
- Participate in challenging debates designed to find the right IT solutions for Customs, business, and other border regulatory agencies in the 21st century.
Vendors
- Meet top level executives, entrepreneurs, researchers and delegates from Customs, other Government agencies, the IT industry and the world of international trade, transport and logistics.
- Market your projects, products and services directly to decision-makers.
- Maximize your exposure and visibility with the Customs and IT community.
- Expand your contact database for future networking and business possibilities.
- Gather inside knowledge on current and future IT user requirements.
Participant Profile
The 2015 WCO IT Conference and Exhibition will bring together Customs authorities, representatives from other border regulatory agencies, the IT sector, international organizations, development partners, regional economic communities, the broader business community including trade, transport and logistics bodies, lending institutions and other international trade stakeholders.
Venue
The Grand Lucayan
1 Sea Horse Lane
Lucaya, Freeport
Grand Bahama Island
Hotel Main Number: 242-373-1333
Local Reservations: 242-350-5466
International Calls: 1-242-350-5466
Conference Registration
This unsurpassed package comprises the three-day conference, refreshment breaks and lunches, dinners, and a delegate pack that includes access to all presentations. WCO Members, representatives of international organizations, and all prospective delegates should visit the official website for further information on registration fees and conditions.
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Wednesday, 6 May 2015 |
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| Official Opening Ceremony of the 2015 WCO IT Conference & Exhibition: | ||
| The Honorable Dr. Michael Darville, Minister for Grand Bahamas | ||
| Mr. Charles Turner, Comptroller, Customs and Excise Department, The Bahamas | ||
| Mr. Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General, World Customs Organization (WCO) | ||
| The Right Honourable Perry Gladstone Christie, Prime Minister & Minister of Finance, Commonwealth of The Bahamas | ||
| Keynote Address from Host Administration:Mr. Charles Turner, Comptroller, Customs and Excise Department, The Bahamas | ||
| Keynote Speech:Mr.Jhon Fonseca, Vice-Minister of Foreign Trade, Costa Rica | ||
| Address: Mr. Don-Hyun Lee, Vice Commissioner, Korea Customs Service | ||
| Address by Conference Chair:Mr. Tyrone Sands, Superintendent, Customs and Excise Department, The Bahamas | ||
| Round Table 1: Connecting Stakeholders in Engineering Regional Integration Processes | ||
| Facilitator: Mr. John Bescec, Microsoft – Member of the Private Sector Consultative Group (PSCG) | ||
| Mr. Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General, WCO | ||
| Mr. Luis Cesar Priego Valdez, Central Administrator for Customs Planning and Strategic Coordination, Tax Administration Service / General Administration for Customs, Mexico | ||
| The Honorable Jay M. Cohen, Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy (Ret) and Chief Operating Officer, Decision Sciences International Corporation (DSIC) | ||
| Mr. Intikhab Shaik, Group Executive, Business Systems, South African Revenue Service (SARS) | ||
| Keynote Speech:Mr. Paul A. Hilaire, Permanent Secretary, Caribbean Customs Law Enforcement Council (CCLEC) | ||
| Panel 1: Globally Networked Customs: Progressing Utility Blocks towards cross-border connectivityModerator: Mr. Pascal Ollivier, Director of Corporate Development, SOGET | ||
| Mr. Ramesh Siva, Lead e-Government Specialist, World Bank | ||
| Mr. John Bescec, Director, Global Trade Compliance & Standards, Global Trade Organization, Microsoft | ||
| Mr.Pablo Bonavia, Federal Administration of Public Revenue (AFIP), Argentina | ||
| Mr.Pulak Chakrabarti, President & Chief Executive Officer, Chakrabarti Management Consultancy, Inc. (CMCI) | ||
Thursday, 7 May 2015 |
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| Keynote speech: Enabling Collaboration through Technology: The Next Generation Customs AgencyMr.James Canham, Managing Director, Global Customs Industry Lead, Accenture | ||
| Round Table 2: Emerging Issues for Customs and Border Management in handling growth of Inter- and Intra-Regional trade | ||
| Moderator: Mr. Rachid Benjelloun, Managing Director for Trade Facilitation, Nathan Associates Inc. | ||
| Mr. Dietmar Möllmann, Head of International Co-ordination, German Customs (ZKA) & Chair of the EU Working Group Customs Against Internet Crime (C@IC) | ||
| Mr. Ibrahima Diagne, Chair, African Alliance for E-commerce | ||
| Ms. Christine Macqueen, Director Corporate Affairs, SICPA | ||
| Mr. Jonathan Koh, Senior Director, Trade Facilitation Centre of Excellence, CrimsonLogic Pte Ltd, Singapore | ||
| Keynote speech:Mr.George Gobin, Regional Manager for Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Bahamas, Belize Turks & Caicos and Jamaica (BCBBTJ), Microsoft. | ||
| Keynote Speech: Mr. Dikko Inde Abdullahi, Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service | ||
| Panel 2: Benefits of Customs Statistics and Other Trade Data Exchange | ||
| Moderator: Mr. Andreas Maurer, Chief of International Trade Statistics Section, World Trade Organization (WTO) | ||
| Mr. Chris Thibedeau, Vice President, Customs and Law Enforcement Solutions, A-T Solutions | ||
| Mr. Ronald Jansen, Chief Trade Statistics Branch, United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) | ||
| Mr. Cheol Kyu Maeng, Research Fellow, Korea Customs & Trade Development Institute | ||
| Mr. Frank Heijmann, Head of Trade Relations, Tax and Customs Administration, The Netherlands | ||
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TechTalk 1 |
TechTalk 2 |
TechTalk 3 |
| Mr. Satya Prasad Sahu,Commissioner IT, Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), Department of Revenue,India
Mr. Eamonn Sheehy, Senior Advisor on IT, The Bahamas Ministry of Finance, Information to Knowledge Inc.,
Mr. Alexander Goulandris,
Mr. Christian Dellis, Export Services, Plant Health Programs USDA
Ms. Valentina Mintah, CEO, West Blue
Mr.Randy Rotchin, President and CEO, 3CE
Mr.Pulak Chakrabarti, President & Chief Executive Officer, Chakrabarti Management Consultancy, Inc. (CMCI)
Ms. Sue Probert, Director, SEPIAeb Ltd.
Ms. Brenda Smith, Assistant Commissioner for the Office of International Trade (OT), United States Customs and Border Protection (US CBP)
Mr.Markie Muryawan, Chief of International Merchandise Trade Statistics Section, United Nations |
Ms. Milena Budimirović, Technical Officer, WCOMr.Andreas Maurer,
Chief of International Trade Statistics Section, World Trade Organization (WTO)
Ms.Nor Haziah Abd Wahab, Head of International Affairs Corporate Planning Division, Royal Malaysian Customs Department
Chief Information Officer, International Road Transport Union (IRU)
Mr.Christophe Renard, Marketing Services Director, SICPA
Mr. Nicolas Pulgar, IT Director, Servicio Nacional de Aduana, Ecuador
Mr. Anton Eccles
Senior Director, Public Affairs, GS1 Canada
Mr. Bryce Blegen, CEO, Trusted Trade Alliance
Ms.Andrea Hampton, Senior Project Manager, Growth & Trade,
Mr. Toshihiko Miyasaka ,President & Chief Executive Officer, Nippon Automated Cargo & Port Consolidated Systems, Inc., (NACCS), AND Mr. Kenji Nagai, Executive Manager Public Sector, NTT DATA Corporation Mr. Donald Tan, Technical Attaché, WCO |
Ms. Subrenna Higgs, Deputy Director IT, Customs and Excise Department, The Bahamas Mr.Duncan Cleary, Technical Assistance Advisor, International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Mr.Steve Schwab, Senior Vice President, ATSolutions Inc.
Mr. Samy Zayani, Project Director,
Mr. Jaime González Pradenas, Deputy Director IT, Dirección Nacional de Aduanas, Chile
Mr.Ronald Jansen, Chief Trade Statistics Branch, UNSD
Ms. Louise Wigget, e-Tradex
Mr. David Avsec, Deputy Director, PTC Account Relationships Coordinator, UPU
Mr. Colin Gabay, TRIPS Product Manager
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Friday, 8 May 2015 |
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| Opening Address:The Hon. Michael Halkitis, Minister of State for Finance | ||
| Keynote Speeches: | ||
| Dato’ Khazali Ahmad, WCO Regional Vice Chair & Director General of Customs, Royal Malaysian Customs Department | ||
| Mr.Umberto de Pretto, Secretary General, International Road Transport Union (IRU) | ||
| Panel 3: Efficient Transit Solutions for Reduced Costs of TradingModerator: Mr. Pascal Minvielle, Business Development Director, Webfontaine | ||
| Mr. Andre Van der Post, Senior Director, Public Sector Industry Solutions Group, Oracle. | ||
| Mr. Kateshumbwa C. Dicksons, Assistant Commissioner, Customs Audit Division, Uganda Revenue Authority | ||
| Mr. Xavier Cardenas Moncayo, Director General, Servicio Nacional de Aduana, Ecuador | ||
| Mr. Brian Glancy, Director/Team Leader, Trade Facilitation Team, USAID Southern Africa Trade Hub (SATH) | ||
| Round Table 3: Ultimate benefits for trade in cross-border AEO programmesFacilitator : Mr. James Canham, Managing Director, Global Customs Industry Lead, Accenture | ||
| Mr. Kester Mejier, Director Operations Integrity, KLM | ||
| Mr. Charles Armstrong, Assistant Commissioner for the Office of Information and Technology (OIT), US CBP | ||
| Mr. Diego Daniel Diaz, Executive Director, Argentinean Chamber of Customs E-Seals (CaPeMa) | ||
| Mr. Hideharu Tanaka, Counselor for International Cooperation, Customs and Tariff Bureau, Ministry of Finance, Japan | ||
| Conclusions by Conference Chair:Mr. Tyrone Sands, Superintendent, Custom and Excise Department, The Bahamas | ||
| Closing Speeches: | ||
| Mr. Charles Turner, Comptroller, Bahamas Customs Department | ||
| Mr. Ray McDonagh, Head of Administration and Personnel, WCO | ||
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