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Abu Dhabi is the largest of seven Emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a federation of states situated in the south east of the Arabian Peninsula. As the capital of the UAE, … the City of Abu Dhabi is a cosmopolitan metropolis and the centre of the country’s political and industrial activities as well as a major cultural and commercial focal point.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, known by its acronym CITES or ‘the Washington Convention’, is an international agreement between governments … aimed at ensuring that the international trade in species of wild animals and plants does not put their survival at risk.

During the autumn, the World Trade Organization and Cambridge University Press will publish A Handbook on the WTO Customs Valuation Agreement.

There is so much written about risk management, itseemsthat there is nothing left to say. Conceptually, “risk” is used to denote perils, loss, dangerous occurrences, hazards, and even vulnerabilities. … Those of us who had to teach management at college and university levels know that management from the time of Henri Fayol’s 14 principles in 1916 to current management teaching includes functional principles such as planning, organizing, commanding, controlling, leading, budgeting; principles in human resources like personnel administration, human motivation and relations, training, development and performance appraisals, and operational management. In other words, risk management, involves every aspect of an organization’s status and operations. But what aboutsecurity in a global supply chain? In the supply chain there are risk elements like third parties, foreign shippers, carriers, weather, foreign governmentinvolvement, disruption in the process, timing, language, cargo quality and quantity, and other forces.

Risk management is key to the overall reconciliation of the requirements of enforcement, security and facilitation. One of the biggest challenges Customs administrations are facing today is to … determine how to best apply risk management to identify and mitigate risk at the operational level. As the only international intergovernmental organization that deals with Customs procedures governing trade between countries,the WCO has developed a variety of different tools which can assist and facilitate its Members’ work in managing risk.

The Directorate of National Tax and Customs (DIAN) in Colombia is responsible for providing a compliance and facilitation service vis-à-vis economic operators in order for tax, Customs and exchange-rate … system rules to be met. DIAN aims to collect all taxes, expedite foreign trade operations, and encourage fair competition.

Cultural heritage is the legacy of tangible artworks that express the value of a culture and the characteristics of a society. For every nation, cultural heritage represents a fundamentalsource … of life, civilization as well as a unique assetfor itsfuture. Through the preservation and promotion of their national cultural property and heritage, societies transfer their own identity onto future generations.

Despite the global financial crisis and its repercussions on the art market, illegal trade in culturalproperty continues to flourish worldwide.

Improving tariff classification work is recognised as a priority in the WCO Strategic Plan, which calls for the implementation of best practices in this area. These best practices are enshrined … in two very important WCO Council Recommendations on the introduction of programmes for binding pre-entry classification information (1996) and on the improvement of tariff classification work and related infrastructure (1998).

Although the trade in ivory from Asian and African elephants has been banned since 1975 and 1989 respectively in all 170 countries signatory to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered … Species (CITES), illegal and unregulated trade continues to occur in many parts of the world, primarily Africa and Asia.

On 9 December 2009, the WCO launched the latest version of its Data Model; a global solution for optimizing electronic data exchange. This version of the Model represents a significant development … as it will act as an enabler for improved management of cross-border transactions.

The WCO has published the agreed amendments to the Harmonized System (HS) nomenclature that will enter into force on 1 January 2012.

Even though Customs interacts constantly with business, the shape of relations between these two international trade protagonists varies from country to country, depending on the economic situation, … national culture, political imperatives, and operational resources and requirements, etc. The Revised Kyoto Convention states in its general principles that “Customsshall institute and maintain formal consultative relationships with the trade to increase co-operation and facilitate participation in establishing the most effective methods of working commensurate with national provisions and international agreements.”

Every year, a significant number of rules, regulations and other measures are adopted in ‘Brussels’ that have either a direct or an indirect effect on the EU’s 495 million citizens and 20 million … businesses. The interests and opinions of these stakeholders, when adopting these rules, should be heard and taken into account. Indeed, various kinds of consultation and consultative bodies have long been – and are increasingly so – an integral part of the EU legislative process.

To curb illegal trans-boundary movement of hazardous and other waste, Hong Kong Customs, with the support of the Environmental Protection Department (EPD), launched a strategic control scheme … on hazardous and other waste with effect from 4 July 2007; a partnership between the public and private sectors.

As Singapore Customs celebrated its 100th anniversary in January 2010 and took stock of its numerous achievements through the years, TradeNet – Singapore’s Single Window initiative, which marksits … 21st year in 2010 – stands out for its role in revolutionising the trade documentation process in the city-state. TradeNet has enhanced the competitiveness of Singapore as a global trade hub, creating an overall positive trading environment for the country and the region. We trace the development and progress of this electronic wonder that makes paperwork a thing of the past.

A new Customs Code based on WCO standards (Revised Kyoto Convention, Istanbul Convention, etc) entered into force on 1 January 2009. The new Code establishes the legislative framework for virtual … electronic procedures by recognizing an electronic goods declaration, an electronic signature and the accomplishment of Customs formalities, including the payment of duties and taxes,remotely in a virtual environment.

The 16th of September last year commemorated the 23rd anniversary of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. Monitoring the trade in ozone depleting substances (ODS) … and their ozone-friendly substitutes has been the hallmark of the implementation of the Montreal Protocol. There is, therefore, much to celebrate as well as many challenges ahead for Customs officers around the world.

The Fifth Global Congress on Combating Counterfeiting and Piracy which was held in Cancun (Mexico) from 2-4 June 2009 saw international delegates galvanize their efforts to fight the trade in … counterfeit and pirated products around the theme “Bridging boundariesforshared solutions”. Hosted by INTERPOL in cooperation with the Mexican government agency, Instituto Mexicana de la Propiedad Industrial, delegates attending the Congress had the opportunity to listen to a number ofspeakersskilled in IPR issues, in particular IPR enforcement at borders.

Thirty-five delegates representing countries and international/regional organisations in the Asia Pacific region participated in a Green Customs Forum in Jeju (Republic of Korea) from 3-6 November … 2009. Discussions centred on the efforts made by Customs to protect the environment.