Secretary-general Rebeca Grynspan and her WCO counterpart Kunio Mikuriya signed the agreement on October 4, updating the two organisations’ previous agreement from 2013, according to a press release by UNCTAD.
ASYCUDA — UNCTAD’s largest technical assistance programme — helps customs offices in over 100 countries and territories to expedite the clearance of goods.
Currently, 77 WCO members are using ASYCUDAWorld — ASYCUDA’s flagship software — as their integrated custom data management system.
“It is worth noting that ASYCUDA systems are fully compliant with the international instruments and standards developed by the WCO,” said Grynspan. “Our collaboration will be instrumental in the successful delivery of our respective goals and activities.”
WCO works to make customs operations more effective and efficient. The Brussels-based entity represents 184 customs administrations across the globe, which collectively process about 98 per cent of world trade.
“The memorandum of understanding is a robust foundation towards closer cooperation with UNCTAD,” said Mikuriya. “Customs has long led border modernisation and this new partnership is expected to enhance this potential further and bring it onto a new level.”
Through the agreement, UNCTAD and WCO will help customs authorities better manage risks with information technology. To streamline and simplify data collection, the two organisations will develop a harmonised methodology to gather and share customs statistics, added the release.
UNCTAD and WCO will join forces to accelerate supply chain digitalisation by implementing international standards for data exchange, such as the WCO Data Model.
In addition to increasing customs data quality and accuracy, the collaboration will also facilitate trade by improving consistency and predictability related to cross-border data requirements.
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