The Security Programme of the WCO, with the generous support of the Government of Japan, will host a Global Security Conference for Member Customs administrations from December 2019. The conference will be held at the WCO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.
Following the escalation in global terrorist activity, the WCO Policy Commission issued the Punta Cana Resolution in December 2015 which readdressed and highlighted Custom’s role and contribution in the context of border security and counter terrorism. The significance of Customs’ role in border security has also been reiterated in various United Nations Security Council Resolutions and through other high-level political commitments, such as G7 and G20 declarations.
The first WCO Security Programme Strategic Seminar in June 2016 helped members to identify good practices and explore new or different ways of addressing border security challenges. The time is right to do a stocktake on where we are now, three years on from the Punta Cana resolution. The Global Security Conference will consider what has changed in the three years since Punta Cana with presentations on how global security threats are evolving and examine how the security mandate of Customs is expanding.
We will also share better practice with case studies looking at how Customs administrations are dealing with security risks and threats, with a particular focus on collaboration at the border. Informative sessions will be delivered on each of the Security Programme’s five initiatives:
• Strategic Trade Controls Enforcement (STCE)
• Programme Global Shield (PGS)
• Passenger Controls, including the use of API and PNR systems;
• Small Arms and Lights Weapons (SALW); and
• Financing of Terrorism.
In each of these sessions Member administrations will share their experience in building their security capability. The WCO Security Programme will also discuss the efforts it is making with the support of donors under the five initiatives, together with the challenges faced and how they are being overcome. We will be joined by key partners of the Security Programme who will provide insights from their perspective into the security threats that we are facing and how we can collaborate to manage security risks at the border.
Finally we will deliberate on the question of where to from here and what the role and capability of Customs in relation to security should be in three years from now, informed by panel discussions on current and future challenges and how to tackle them, individually and collectively.
We look forward to welcoming members to this important event.
