Brussels, 28 June 2022 (TDI): The Green Customs Global Conference was launched on Monday, 27 June, and ends on Tuesday, 28 June 2022. The hybrid event will occur in person at the World Customs Organization’s (WCO) headquarters and online for people who can’t physically attend.
The WCO organized the conference. It aims to achieve results for a new agenda that will focus on greener trade practices.
The WCO was established nearly seven decades ago, in 1953. It is an intergovernmental organization with headquarters in Belgium’s capital. Its main goal is to increase the performance of customs administrations.
WCO members jointly operate a significant portion of international trade. Above all, the WCO gathers 184 customs administrations from all over the world. It is an international hub for customs expertise.
Moreover, its mission is to create global standards, promote cooperation, and facilitate trade between members. WCO supplies its members with valuable guidance to optimize their custom operations.
Three-quarters of WCO members are developing nations. Further, the organization has valuable partnerships with other organizations.
For instance, some of its most remarkable partnerships include the World Trade Organization (WTO), International Trade Centre (ITC), and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
Green Customs Global Conference: An Overview
The event aims to gather WCO members and other stakeholders to share and promote novel sustainable solutions for international trade. The meeting will specifically take into consideration the opinions of developing nations.
As a result, the conference expects multiple participants. Among them, it is possible to find intergovernmental organizations, nonprofits, professors, field experts, and others.
This year’s motto is: Strengthening Customs’ role in implementing green trade policies for environmental protection.
In addition, WCO recognizes commerce as a revolutionary actor in the quest toward a more sustainable global economy. International value chains are potential tools to establish connections between countries interested in sustainable trade practices.
Furthermore, the meeting aims to highlight the role of customs administrations in environmental goods trade. Administrations have to cooperate to achieve the correct usage of multilateral environmental agreements. Those agreements serve to protect the environment on multiple levels.
Gerassimos Thomas, Director General of Taxation and Customs Union at the European Commission, started the conference with an opening speech.
Kunio Mikuraya, Secretary General of the WCO, shared the news via Twitter.
Green Customs Global Conference started @WCO_OMD with keynote speech @gerass_thomas on @EU_Taxud initiatives. We will hear from a range of multi-stakeholders (including IGOs, academia, private sector, NGOs) their expectations for Customs. pic.twitter.com/3cuh45Jqz5
— Kunio Mikuriya (@wcosg) June 27, 2022
In conclusion, the Green Customs Global Conference 2022 is crucial for the international customs community. It is ideal for stakeholders to share ideas on making trade more eco-friendly.
