The World Customs Organisation (WCO) on Friday, 25 January celebrated International Customs Day under the slogan “SMART borders for seamless Trade, Travel and Transport.” To that end, the WCO has express its commitment to promote the transformation of frontiers into “SMART borders,” with Customs acting as the central connecting and coordinating hub.
The concept of SMART borders also highlights Customs’ role in supporting the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
The WCO has devised and developed many tools, instruments and initiatives to assist Customs administrations in working “smartly.” These include the revised WCO International Convention on the Simplification and Harmonisation of Customs Procedures, the WCO SAFE Framework of Standards to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade, the WCO Security Programme, the WCO SAFE Package 2018, the WCO Time Release Study (TRS), the WCO IT Guide for Executives, the WCO Guidance on the Use of ICT for TFA Implementation, the WCO Cross-Border E-Commerce Framework of Standards, and the WCO Digital Customs Suite, among others.
-Riaan de Lange