WCO welcomes G20 Seoul Summit Declaration
WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya said, “I am very pleased that the G20 Seoul Summit took development issues on board in an earnest manner, which is critical in reinvigorating the global economy as well as reducing global imbalances; This strong support will bolster WCO assistance to Customs administrations, increase cooperation with international and regional organizations, donors and our private sector partners”
The WCO provides extensive capacity building assistance and supports the G20's continuous commitment to maintaining momentum for Aid for Trade. In particular, the WCO has developed a Revenue Package for the purposes of strengthening fair and efficient revenue collection in response to the global economic downturn which hurt public finances. This Package consists of two key objectives: promoting the effective use of currently available tools and instruments and upgrading this material to help WCO Members deal with the practical challenges faced, particularly in developing countries. Following consultations with its 177 Members, an Action Plan has been developed to address the main challenges identified which include the control and verification of Customs values and the implementation and verification of preferential rules of origin, against the backdrop of the recent proliferation of reciprocal free trade agreements.