Articles

Sixty years ago, several Customs administrations sought to create a new era of cooperation and information-sharing by founding the Customs Co-operation Council (CCC) in Brussels, Belgium. Th … eir foresight led to what we have today: a dynamic organization that is on the cutting-edge of developing Customs instruments, standards, tools and technology, and is an integral participant in international trade.

Established in 1952 as the Customs Cooperation Council, the main mission of the WCO is to secure the harmonization and standardization of Customs procedures and the development of Customs technique … in order to facilitate and secure international trade. For the past 60 years, the WCO has been a setting in which governments can compare policy experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practices and standards, and coordinate Customs policies.

Many remember the first landing on the Moon, when Apollo 11 touched down on its surface on 20 July 1969 and Neil Armstrong, one of its astronauts and the first man to walk on the Moon, uttered … his now famous phrase: “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. People were either glued to the television or hunched around the radio as the world witnessed this historic event. But little did the astronauts know that when they returned to earth, a duty-conscious Customs offi cer would stop them and ask the most famous words associated with Customs services across the globe: “Do you have anything to declare?” Not even astronauts can escape the long arm of Customs!

Since 2008, the Algerian Directorate General of Customs has been applying a new management policy based on performance measurement. In this article, it reports on its trialling of performance … contracts, taking a candid look at progress to date and the problems encountered, and sharing its fi ndings and ideas for improvement.

The Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department reports that RFID-based container locks can eff ectively improve the security, convenience and visibility of the Customs process for cargo entering … the airport. In November 2011, the Department began testing three types of electronic locks (e-locks) in order to speed up the process of performing Customs checks on containers fi lled with cargo.

Driven by the need to ensure that WCO Members were well-positioned to meet the challenges and opportunities of the global trading environment, the WCO Council adopted its Customs in the 21st … Century strategic vision in 2008. It comprises ten building blocks, of which Globally Networked Customs (GNC) is the first.

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) works to ensure Canada’s security and prosperity by managing the access of people and goods to and from Canada.

The new version of the WCO Harmonized System (HS) Nomenclature entered into force on 1 January 2012. It includes 220 sets of amendments: 98 relating to the agricultural sector; 27 to the chemical … sector; 9 to the paper sector; 14 to the textile sector; 5 to the base metal sector; 30 to the machinery sector; and an additional 37 that apply to a variety of other sectors.

In 2011, close to two billion people worldwide were involved in an accident or suffered poisoning following the use of an adulterated, and usually counterfeit, product, with many dying from poisoning … or medical complications, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

As the World Customs Organization celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, it is only fitting that we use this opportunity to acknowledge the heritage that the founders of the Customs Co-operation … Council bestowed on us, namely the importance of cooperation, particularly the value of inter-connectedness among Customs and its partners.

The overall effectiveness of international Customs trade is directly proportional to the degree of connectivity within the global Customs community. As the technology that underpins this connectivity … evolves, so must Customs.

It is broadly accepted that when goods, ideas and people are connected, growth is sparked and the benefits are manifold. Growth in trade is closely linked to economic development, and has been … since the dawn of civilization. The Latin America and Caribbean region is a prime example of how improved connectivity has resulted in increased development.

Recent developments within the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) show strong moves towards strengthening Customs-to-Customs information exchange based on the ‘Customs inter-connectivity’ … concept. This article gives an overview of the roadmap of the SACU IT connectivity project, a key priority for the SACU-WCO Customs Development Programme.

Customs in South Africa operates within a ‘revenue authority’ model. The Customs and tax departments were merged into an autonomous body known as the South African Revenue Service (SARS) in 1996.

To facilitate and control the Dominican Republic’s trade with the rest of the world, based on the efficiency and transparency of Customs procedures, in line with international best practices, … successfully fulfilling Customs’ diverse role in controlling tax evasion, illicit trade, strengthening national security, and protecting health and the environment.

Other common terms for Free Trade Zones or designated trade promotion areas include Free Economic Zone (FEZ), Export Processing Zone (EPZ), Free Port (FP), Industrial Free Zone (IFZ) Technological … Free Zone (TFZ), Special Economic Zone (SEZ), and Industrial Development Zone (IDZ).