Report by Kunio Mikuriya

GMS (Greater Mekong Subregion) Customs Directors General Meeting

Bangkok (Thailand), 14-15 September 2006

 

The ADB (Asian Development Bank), Royal Thai Customs and the WCO Asia Pacific ROCB (Regional Office for Capacity Building) jointly hosted the first high level customs meeting of GMS countries (Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam) to discuss customs modernization and cooperation in the GMS, especially with respect to customs-related issues associated with the implementation of the GMS Cross-Border Transport Agreement (CBTA).

 

WCO Deputy Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya said that any cross-border related agreements require the involvement of customs from the beginning of their implementation in order to encourage customs “ownership” in implementing the agreements.  Taking into account the early stage of the implementation of the GMS CBTA, he suggested that this customs forum could provide leadership and a model for customs’ contribution to regional cooperation, including the implementation of an important regional agreement, which should be based on international standards and best practice.  Click here for Mr. Mikuriya’s keynote speech “Challenges towards the New Customs Environment”.

 

The meeting reviewed the progress of individual member’s customs modernization initiatives, customs-related aspects of CBTA, the need to achieve international standards, the results of WCO Diagnostic Studies in some GMS countries, and mechanisms for GMS customs cooperation.  Participants agreed on the need to ensure consistency between the GMS CBTA and international standards, in particular the Revised Kyoto Convention, the SAFE Framework of Standards and the Istanbul Convention.  They also agreed that the GMS Heads of Customs Administration Meeting should become an annual forum.  The group identified priority issues and capacity building needs to be addressed over the medium term, for which they strongly requested the ADB and the WCO to play important roles.  The identified areas for priorities and needs include consistency in a national legal framework to implement the CBTA, transit and temporary admission, the single customs document, single stop inspection and risk management.

 

Full details of the GMS meeting may be viewed at www.adb.org/gms.