On 31 October 2023, the Deputy Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO) participated in the session titled “Customs Authorities as Trade Facilitators” at the International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) World Ports Conference 2023.
The opening ceremony for the event was led by the President of the IAPH, and the Managing Director of the IAPH, with the participation of the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
Before an audience of over 600 people made up exclusively of port CEOs, maritime supply chain stakeholders, senior government officials and international advisers, the Deputy Secretary General provided delegates with an insight into how both port authorities and their governing bodies can partner with Customs authorities to facilitate smoother trade and cargo flows in their maritime supply chains. The WCO has been at the forefront of border modernisation and continues to promote ‘Coordinated Border Management and Digitalisation’ as important components of border modernisation programmes.
The launch of the “WCO-IAPH Joint Guidelines on Cooperation between Customs and Port Authorities” was announced in conjunction with the Managing Director of the IAPH. It was followed by a panel session, moderated by the publishing director and editor-in-chief of the International Transport Journal. The session benefited from the participation of the Deputy Secretary General and the President of Maritime Street and Chair of the IAPH Data Collaboration Committee.
The panel discussion and related interviews addressed some of the current challenges for cooperation between Customs and Ports. Against a global context where enforcement requirements are increasing in parallel with the need to accelerate the flow of legal goods, it is important to understand how Customs administrations around the world are managing their relationships with maritime supply chain stakeholders, particularly port authorities.
The Deputy Secretary General highlighted the need for an established governance framework, the use of technology focused on interoperable systems, as well as better and more data management to boost the visibility and resilience of supply chains.
The event touched upon several major themes, including the need for greater innovation in the transition towards clean energies for the maritime trade sector.