On 26 June 2026, the World Customs Organization (WCO) announced that its Annual Council Sessions had brought together 187 heads of Customs to set the global Customs agenda for the year ahead. The 147th/148th sessions were led by the Council chairperson and the WCO secretary general (SG).
Special addresses by the president of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) and the INTERPOL SG reaffirm the need for global cooperation in the fight against illicit trade.
The Council Sessions commenced with keynote speeches that highlighted Customs as a cornerstone of societal protection. They affirmed that collective action among international organisations and Customs administrations is essential to making the world safer and to strengthening global trade systems. The Council Sessions were preceded earlier in the week by the 94th session of the Policy Commission and a joint dialogue session with the WCO Private Sector Consultative Group (PSCG).
WCO delivering for Customs
“While the specific conditions and challenges may be different for each WCO member, the expectations placed on every Customs administration are the same. The state demands security and proper revenue collection. The trade community and the public demand efficiency and safety. Meeting these uncompromising demands […] can be daunting, but Customs succeeds every day. This is part of why the trading system works. Something that enables Customs to do this, and the reason why we gather in this chamber every year, is the fact that none of us has to do this work alone,” said WCO SG while formally opening the meeting.
This is a theme that ran through all the opening remarks – the importance of working together to manage stakeholders’ expectations and ensure a collective approach and greater impact in addressing the threats facing society.
The chairperson of the WCO council highlighted the role and importance of the WCO and of the Council Sessions, making an analogy between the 2026 Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup and Customs. He said: “There is something in this year’s tournament that speaks directly to our work. For the first time, the World Cup is being held across 16 cities in three sovereign territories. None of this works unless players, officials, equipment and hundreds of thousands of supporters cross those borders quickly and securely. Speed without control will result in chaos. Control without speed will lead to gridlock. So, the whole spectacle of the World Cup rests on creating both these conditions at once, which is precisely the balance every Customs administration in this room is asked to strike whenever we operate at our borders and airports. And the wider the field grows, the more that balance depends on cooperation and collaboration.”
Heads of Customs were then presented with an update on the key developments across the WCO’s work, including activities undertaken by the Secretariat to implement the strategic plan during 2025/2026. In his report to the Council, the SG highlighted some of the WCO’s work that has made a real difference to the global Customs community over the past year, such as the release of the Harmonized System (HS) 2028 Amendments and related tools, the update of the Time Release Study Guide, the launch of an Admission Temporaire/Temporary Admission (ATA) Carnet digital ecosystem, and the results of several international enforcement operations, such as Thunder and Global Gateway.
“We’ve met most of our commitments, brought forward tools and guidance and provided hands-on support in addressing many critical issues. We’ve maintained a clear sense of direction and accountability, and also set the trajectory for doing the same in the coming year,” the WCO SG concluded.
Enhancing global impact: peer organisations recognise the value of Customs
On the opening day of the Council, the INCB president and the INTERPOL SG addressed participants via video messages.
The INCB president shared a sobering message about the rapidly changing threat of illegal drugs, one that wreaks havoc on social fabric and health systems worldwide and demands action by Customs services, which are on the front line of this problem. The INCB highlighted the critical role of Customs at the intersection of trade facilitation and law enforcement, the value of its authorities and presence, and its unique tools that enable distinctions between products that do not pose a risk and those that can imperil lives and economies.
“Together, through strengthened partnerships between the INCB, the WCO and national authorities, we can enhance our collective capacity to safeguard societies from the harms of illicit drugs and their precursors,” she concluded.
The INTERPOL SG underscored the strong partnership between the WCO and INTERPOL, and the shared commitment by both Organisations to tackling transnational crime. “In today’s complex threat landscape, neither of our organisations can succeed alone,” he told heads of Customs, adding that “when police and Customs work together against crime, we make societies safer”. He explained that the strategic partnership between the WCO and INTERPOL is built on information-sharing, operational coordination and trust stemming from a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed almost 30 years ago.
INTERPOL continued by pointing to the invaluable cooperation between the WCO and INTERPOL in conducting joint operations – together yielding significant results – using ‘Operation Thunder’ as an example, which led to the seizure of nearly 30,000 endangered animals and the identification of over 1,100 suspects during a 30-day period.
These high-level messages resonated with the Customs community, which works hand in hand with other international organisations such as the INCB and INTERPOL, as well as with national law enforcement partners, on a daily basis to keep society safe and secure from the ever-evolving threats posed by cross-border crime.
Next steps
During the three-day Council Sessions, WCO members were due to discuss and approve a wide range of standards and guidance materials on commercial fraud, illicit trade, digitalisation, performance measurement and the use of technology, and chart the organisation’s way forward.