The Hindu Business Line : WCO for early ratification of revised Kyoto convention on customs

THE World Customs Organisation (WCO) is keen on getting the revised Kyoto convention providing for an International Convention on Simplification and Harmonisation of Customs Procedures ratified as part of expediting trade facilitation measures across the world, the Deputy Secretary General of the WCO, Mr Kunio Mikuriya said hereTalking to Business Line here on the sidelines of an interactive session to discuss modalities for negotiations on trade facilitation with the representatives of Indian trade and industry, organised by the Export Promotion Council for EOUs and SEZ Units (EPCES), Mr Mikuriya recalled that the WCO hailed the WTO July package modalities for negotiations on trade facilitation, one of the Singapore issues. Because, he said, this directed the trade negotiators to take due note of the relevant work of the WCO, in particular the revised Kyoto convention that basically defines how a modern customs administration should function.

He said that accurate, predictable and speedy trade procedures should be viewed as the main avenue for integrating national economies into a global trading system, the WCO together with its 164-member customs administrations, has developed and promoted global standards in this regard through the revised Kyoto convention (International Convention on Simplification and Harmonisation of Customs Procedures).

Asked how many countries had so far signed the revised Kyoto convention to set off a cooperative customs administration for easier flow of goods across countries, Mr Mikuriya said that so far 36 countries had done so which is four short of making the revised convention ratified. "That is why I am here" to hold talks with Indian officials and also to further fine-tune the works of customs administration the world over for preparing them to get the rule-based agreement on trade facilitation under the WTO moving for the benefit of all stakeholders, he added.

In his interaction with Indian trade and industry, the Brussels-based WCO senior official said that customs need increased cooperation, support and more partnership with the trade. He said that customs play a vital role right from the arrival of cargo to its release. He said that customs had developed new techniques with the development of information technology. Mr Mikuriya also stated that the revised Kyoto convention also provides a basis for addressing the heightened security concern, without unduly obstructing the expeditious movement of goods for legitimate trade. With the renewed impetus of the WTO decision, the WCO would like to urge governments to demonstrate the requisite political will to speed up the process of incorporating the principles of the revised Kyoto convention into national legislation in order to enable customs to implement them. He said that it has been decided to develop a set of international standards together with the trade and hoped to finalise the same soon.

On model procedures, Mr Mikuriya said that any country could develop its own standards and WCO standards could be common denominator and for each provision guidelines and practice could be attached. He also thanked the Indian Government for setting up World Customs Organisation Regional Asia Pacific Training Centre at Faridabad on October 5, which he had inaugurated.

In his welcome address, EPCES President, Mr Sharad Jaipuria hoped that the Centre would help to ease smooth flow of trade among countries of this region and indicated that the EPCES has set a target of achieving exports of $10.86 billion during the current fiscal and to double it to $20 billion by 2010. He said the role of Customs in actualising high export growth by ensuring smooth flow of goods across borders could not be gainsaid.

Summing up the deliberations of the meeting, Mr Kishan Singh, Joint Secretary (Customs), Ministry of Finance said that the presence of various trade associations was a sign of the willingness of the trade and industry to interact with Customs. He reiterated the importance of partnership between customs and trade as an important facet of WCO and "we should take forward this partnership" since trade facilitation is an integral part of this partnership.

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