Azernews.Az

By Abdul Kerimkhanov

The WCO Information Technology / Technology & Innovation Conference & Exhibition will be held in Baku from June 12-14, 2019, and is expected to attract around 1,000 participants from customs, the private sector, international organizations, academics and other key players, Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General of the World Customs Organization, said in an interview with Azernews.

“Azerbaijan has also supported a number of WCO events aimed at fostering international cooperation and the exchange of best practices - two important aspects of our Organization,” he added.

“The provision of capacity building through the WCO regional structures is another important WCO feature,” Mikuriya said. “From that perspective also, Azerbaijan is seen as an active Member in the Europe region.”

“Three key WCO regional bodies are located in Baku, namely the WCO Regional Office for Capacity Building (ROCB), the WCO Regional Training Centre (RTC) and the WCO Regional Dog Training Centre (RDTC),” he added.

The World Customs Organization (WCO), established in 1952 as the Customs Co-operation Council, is an independent intergovernmental body that acts as a global centre of Customs expertise and the voice of the international Customs community.

The WCO develops and maintains a range of instruments, standards and tools covering core Customs subjects including, among others, commodity classification, valuation, rules of origin, compliance and enforcement, trade facilitation and capacity building among others.

From 17 founding Members in 1952, the WCO today represents more than 180 Member Customs Administrations across the globe, divided into six geographical regions. The State Customs Committee (SCC) of Azerbaijan became a Member in June 1992, and belongs to the WCO Europe region. The SCC is a very active WCO Member and contributes to WCO meetings and ongoing initiatives, ambitioning to have a leadership role in the region.

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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94

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