On 20 November 2024, the World Customs Organization (WCO) advised that 14 November 2024 had marked the end of the three-day WCO Technology Conference and Exhibition held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, under the theme “Digital Frontiers: Customs Embracing Innovation with Traditional and New Partners”.
In their closing remarks, the Under-secretary for Customs Administration, the Secretariat of the Federal Revenue of Brazil, and the WCO Secretary General thanked all those involved in the Conference. They outlined some of the key takeaways from this event.
During the Conference sessions, there was an acknowledgement of the need for reshaped and reimagined Customs processes, the potential of emerging technologies and data analytics to revolutionise the work of Customs, and the progress already made.
The deliberations confirmed the value and absolute need for multi-stakeholder engagement, as big and increasingly complex problems can best be solved through collective wisdom, resources and action.
The discussions highlighted the importance of iterative project development, namely establishing clear goals, defining a path for achieving them, and pinpointing the technologies that can be meaningfully employed, using pilots to test projects on a reasonable scale, drawing on the lessons learned, and then expanding the use of the new approach to meet more fully the needs identified.
The criticality of data-driven solutions to support Customs decision-making was confirmed during many Conference sessions.
Finally, the Conference underscored the importance of the human element. Technological solutions must be rolled out as part of a more comprehensive and balanced approach that ignites the imagination and considers other issues, such as trust. The goal of trusted value chains is as much about technological enablers as it is about confidence in the data that feeds into them, the parties involved, and the willingness of the relevant authorities to work together.
The Conference's closing session featured an announcement that the next WCO Technology Conference and Exhibition is scheduled for February 2026, with the host country still to be determined. In conclusion, the WCO Secretary General expressed hope that many of the participants from Rio de Janeiro would participate in the next edition, thereby continuing the dialogue and fostering strong partnerships to deliver effective solutions addressing the dynamic challenges of the international trade landscape.
