WASHINGTON – U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Kevin K. McAleenan discussed World Customs Organization (WCO) engagement at a meeting of the Interagency Committee on World Customs Organization Matters, held at U.S. CBP headquarters.
The Interagency Committee meeting brought together representatives from U.S. government agencies and departments with a stake in customs matters. The committee discussed the activities of the WCO and coordinated related U.S. policies and activities. Leaders from 14 U.S. agencies and departments participated in the meeting.
“Recent shifts in economic activity have led to increased volumes of imports of small and just-in-time packages, and as a result, made the dichotomy of the customs mission, to facilitate trade and enforce trade, more challenging,” said Commissioner McAleenan. “The question before us, as regulators and innovators, is how can we ensure safety while facilitating growth and interconnectedness.”
After his remarks, an overview of ongoing efforts related to e-commerce, capacity building, and illicit financial flows was provided. Participants also shared areas of successful cooperation with the organization and discussed opportunities for future collaboration including further work related to e-commerce, capacity building, trade facilitation, information sharing, private sector engagement and partnership with other international organizations.
Photos of the event can be found here.