Remarks for the observance of 2025 International Customs Day
Happy International Customs Day to all customs officials serving in various capacities within our member administrations. As we celebrate this important day, we are expected to identify with the World Customs Organization’s theme for this year which is: “Customs Delivering on its Commitment to Efficiency, Security and Prosperity”. Customs Administrations are expected to transform those “commitments into tangible actions that advance trade facilitation, ensure security and foster sustainable economic growth”. Such an expectation is well within our capacity to do given the multiplicity of roles played by Customs in today’s context. This includes three distinct aspects related to international trade:
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- The fiscal aspect -revenue collection, Import duties, other duties and charges and VAT
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- The economic aspect -implementation and oversight of government economic policies including International (trade related) treaty obligations, and
- The protection and security aspects – protecting society from transborder criminal activity and safeguarding national interest including citizens’ health.
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The reality in our region is that individually, many of our administrations are struggling with preforming these roles effectively. These challenges stem from the size and geographic nature of the countries, inadequacy of resources and our inability to adapt quickly to changing circumstances. Many administrations have not fully adopted modern concepts such as risk management and post clearance audits preferring to rely on the traditional way of operating, with upfront control and a high percentage of inspections. The WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement which came into effect in 2017 contains several measures for implementation by Customs which for some reason are not a treated as a strategic priority by many countries in the region. On the other hand, a few countries have made tremendous strides in advancing towards improving the service delivery and operating more effective and efficient systems. The question is why is it possible for some to make the required changes while others are reluctant or unable to do so?