On 27 to 29 September 2016 the 11th annual WCO PICARD Conference took place in Manila, Philippines. According to the WCO the annual PICARD Conferences have positively impacted the work of Customs since 2006, providing a platform for informed dialogue between Customs administrations, universities, and research institutes on topics relevant to Customs and international trade.
The Conference welcomed over 250 participants from 54 countries, representing Customs administrations, academic and research communities, international and regional organisations, and the private sector.
A keynote address on tobacco control and taxation was given by Luk Joossens from the Belgian Foundation against Cancer and Association of European Cancer Leagues. The keynote was followed by a panel on tobacco control consisting of Ulysses Dorotheo (the FCTC Program Director of the Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance in Manila), Emma Teodoro (the President of CAI-STA Philippines Inc.), and Caroline Miller (the Director of Population Health Research at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute).
The Conference concluded with a youth forum, enabling students from universities across China, the Philippines, Russia and Ukraine to discuss topics integral to Customs as well as future career possibilities in Customs and in the international trade arena.
In closing the conference, Robert Ireland, the head of the WCO Research Unit, expressed his gratitude to the Philippine Bureau of Customs for their outstanding hospitality and efforts in making the 11th PICARD Conference a great success and paraphrased the writer David Simon by saying that “the PICARD Conference is building something here, and all the pieces matter.”