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The EastWest Institute partnered with Italy, 2009 Chair of the G-8, and the World Customs Organization to host the Sixth Worldwide Security Conference (WSC6) at WCO headquarters in Brusselsfrom … 18 to 19 February 2009 with the theme ‘From the Global War on Terror, to Common Security and Joint Action’.

At the 2009 WCO IT Conference and Exhibition which took place from 22 to 24 April 2009 in Marrakesh (Morocco), almost 600 delegates from Customs, other border regulatory agencies and the private … sector met to analyze the international trade single window concept and to consider the benefits associated with such a system.

Customs administrations play a vital role in environmental protection at borders. They ensure compliance with the provisions of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and national legislation, … are tasked with monitoring the trade in certain environmentally sensitive goods and endangered species, with identifying and detecting smuggling and other offences, and with helping to raise users’ awareness of this illicit trade.

Some people may ask why Customs has anything to do with environmental crime. They may also argue that it is all too late when a tiger skin is carried through the Customs. However, if Customs … does nothing, more wildlife will fall victim to illegal poaching or be taken away from their natural habitats.

Designated to answer several shortcomings that were highlighted by the dumping of hazardous waste from the vessel “Probo Koala” in Abidjan’s residential areas in August 2006, the two-year project … will be implemented by the Basel Convention Regional Center for French-speaking Countries in Africa, based in Senegal, and executed by the Ministry of Environment in Abidjan, in cooperation with the Basel Convention Secretariat.

The State Customs Service of Ukraine (SCSU) is a specially authorised central body of executive power in the area of Customs practice that was created in 1991 with the mission to direct, co-ordinate, … and control the activities of Customs authorities, specialised Customs institutions and organisations in implementing the laws of Ukraine on Customs practice.

These highly important, and historic Council sessions took place at WCO headquarters in Brussels from 26 to 28 June 2008. The main issues addressed related to policy matters, elections and appointments, … and a variety of other topics.

The use of advance technology to track the movement of cargo, and entry and exit of individuals is essential to the task of managing the movement of hundreds of millions of individuals, conveyances … and vehicles. The maritime container control system will be an essential building block of the “smart border” concept.

The National Directorate of Customs is an autonomous institution based on the principles of legality, good faith and transparency, and is charged with applying Customs legislation, facilitating … international trade, controlling goods traffic efficiently, preventing, suppressing and sanctioning illicit Customs activities, protecting society, and generating important resources for the State.

The WCO approached the University of Le Havre to research the impact on international trade of the recently adopted US law on 100% scanning of maritime containers before loading.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have gained greater importance due to the impact that they are having on different economies around the world. According to the Small and Medium Enterprise … Development Authority (SMEDA), SMEs comprise approximately 90% of all firms in the world and account for an average of 40% to 50% of countries’ GDP. In the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) region for example, SMEs account for over 80% of all businesses and employ as much as 60% of the work force.

The two day WCO conference focusing on the application of rules of origin around the world took place in Brussels (Belgium) from 16-17 June 2008. With rules of origin now a prominent feature … of today’s trading system given the plethora of regional trade arrangements that exist and those that are under negotiation across the globe, the issue has become more topical than ever. These rules enable preferential arrangements to be more effectively implemented; the positive benefits of which include the development of trade and the encouragement of foreign investment.

On 1 July 2008, the European Union (EU) will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its Customs Union. This is a very considerable achievement of which we can be proud. We have gone very far during … these 40 years in building a unified Customs entity. Now, what does the future hold? How will the role of Customs change? Can Customs continue to evolve to meet new challenges, as well as the expectations of our nearly 500 million citizens? I suggest that we should not be passive spectators to the events around us, but that we should actively respond to change.

The Ecuadorian Customs Corporation is an independent institution that was created 10 years ago with the mission to administer Customs services in a fast and transparent manner. Ecuador Customs … is oriented towards the efficient collection of taxes, and to facilitate and control Customs activities in the current foreign trade market on the basis of integrated and automated processes. It encourages a culture of competitiveness and uprightness that guarantees service excellence to both external and internal users, which in turn contributes actively to the development of Ecuador.

The Universal Postal Union (UPU), a specialised agency of the United Nations, is responsible for facilitating communication between peoples, based on the principles of free circulation and the … right of all citizens and businesses to communicate via postal services. The UPU, established in 1874, implements policies aimed at modernizing and developing the postal sector world-wide, for the benefit of its 191 Member countries.

As part of the “Inventing Our Future” Forum on “The WCO in the 21st Century”, the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), represented by Mr. Hassan Baage from the Counter-Terrorism … Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), was asked to speak on the topic “Security : A challenge for the WCO?”.

Money laundering has a considerable adverse impact on the social stability and economic development of a nation. It is not a stand-alone crime, but is intertwined with other crimes, which are … called “predicate offences”. These offences include transnational organized crimes such as the smuggling of drugs, arms, stolen vehicles and artworks, the trade in counterfeit goods, and so on. This criminal trade generates a significant amount of illegal proceeds that need to be laundered, hence the need to find more avenues in which to do so.

The dramatic rise in the number of preferential trade arrangements, together with complex and often confusing rules of origin are some of the increasing challenges facing both customs administrations … and the business community.

One of the key standards contained in the SAFE Framework is the establishment of a risk management system to identify potentially high risk shipments. The use of non-intrusive inspection equipment … is also strongly advocated, but in tandem with the application of these risk assessment techniques. At a time when the WCO is actively encouraging all its members to employ risk management, the potential implementation of 100% scanning requirements by one of the world’s major trading powers threatens to undermine the provisions of the SAFE Framework. Michael Schmitz, WCO Director of Compliance and Facilitation, responds to questions on this subject.

In General - A container that was loaded on a vessel in a foreign port shall not enter the United States (either directly or via a foreign port) unless the container was scanned by nonintrusive … imaging equipment and radiation detection equipment at a foreign port before it was loaded on a vessel.