Journal

In major humanitarian crises, whether natural disasters or complex emergencies, many relief goods are delayed by Customs. Sometimes these items are only released months after their arrival, and, … in the worst-case scenario, may never reach the affected population. The reason for such delays is that Customs authorities are often not adequately prepared to process the large amount of relief items that usually arrive in a disaster stricken country within a very short period of time.

The new edition of the WCO Harmonized System (HS) Nomenclature entered into force on 1 January 2017. The changes in HS 2017 encompass 242 sets of amendments relating to a wide range of products … and product groups.

Data is generated by every economic activity, including by the movement of goods and people. In fact, the convergence of several technologies is accelerating the generation of data. According … to experts, the volume of data continues to double every three years as information pours in from digital platforms, wireless sensors, virtual-reality applications, and billions of mobile phones. In addition, data storage capacity has increased, while its cost has plummeted. Data scientists now have unprecedented computing power at their disposal, and they are devising algorithms that are ever more sophisticated.

Effective border management requires the identification of people and goods, and the collection and analysis of relevant information at the earliest possible point in the travel and trade continuum. … The “business” of modern border management organizations has evolved, and is now driven by the active use of advanced data.

The New Zealand Customs Service is getting closer to completing a major modernization project, called the Joint Border Management System. The system has two key components: the development and … implementation of the New Zealand Trade Single Window; and advanced risk and intelligence capability, including new tools to provide sophisticated data mining, risk rating, and pattern analysis.

Twenty-first century challenges place demands upon Customs administrations throughout the world, particularly in developing countries. Customs services must, therefore, be effective and efficient … if they are to meet their revenue and trade facilitation targets, the achievement of which requires substantial investment in reforms, modernization, and continued improvement.

As a partner of business and a guardian of trade, Singapore Customs strives to strike a fine balance between making sure sufficient controls are in place to interdict illicit trade, and ensuring … that legitimate trade continues to flow unhindered. This requires Singapore Customs to be adept at data analysis, which strengthens enforcement and boosts compliance by the trading community.

As the WCO is dedicating 2017 to encouraging the use of data analysis for more effective border management, I would like to share my own personal experience in this field, and explain how I was … able to develop my data analysis skills thanks to the WCO’s support.

Data analytics – for example, automated selectivity rules – has become an increasingly important tool for Customs agencies. However, conventional data analytics has some critical limitations. … It can only look for pre-defined patterns and rules, and cannot make use of unstructured data, which comes in the form of emails, social media, blogs, documents, images and videos. Cognitive computing allows Customs agencies to extract insights from both structured and unstructured data, discover new patterns and rules, capture the experience of top performers, and improve the quality and consistency of decision-making.

Globalization and the rising threat of terrorism are just two of the many issues challenging border agencies’ ability to secure the swift movement of people and goods across borders. At the same … time, emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT,, blockchain, biometrics, data analytics and machine learning have introduced new risks and opportunities, requiring a rapid and innovative response from industry leaders.

Launched in October 2014, the INAMA project aims to strengthen the enforcement capacity of Customs administrations in Sub-Saharan Africa, while focusing on the illegal trade in wildlife, particularly … on species listed in the appendices of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

The Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer has been in the news a great deal recently. This is something quite unusual for a ‘lesser known’ convention. But how has this … landmark environmental treaty, which some see as the most successful international agreement of any kind, managed to effectively halt the destruction of the ozone layer as well as making a huge contribution to combatting climate change? Dedicated and vigilant Customs officers – that’s how.

Over several decades, the 1975 Customs Convention on the International Transport of Goods under Cover of TIR Carnets (TIR Convention) has proven to be one of the most successful and efficient … instruments for the facilitation of international transport and goods in transit, helping to increase trade, boost economic growth, and make communities stronger. The world’s only tried and tested global Customs transit system – it is the easiest, safest and most reliable way to move goods across international borders, saving time and money for transport operators and Customs authorities.