WCO Permanent Technical Committee Meeting in Belgium: The managerial mark of the Vietnamese customs representative

The 245th/246th meeting of the Permanent Technical Committee (PTC) was attended by over 300 delegates from WCO member customs authorities, international organizations, the private sector, and international research institutions.

Aligned with the WCO's 2024 theme, "Customs proactively strengthening cooperation with traditional and new partners," the 245th/246th meeting focused on key topics such as e-commerce, the Smart Customs project, the Single Window facility, the global customs network, the green customs initiative, coordination between customs and port authorities, strengthening cooperation between customs and partners in implementing the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), enhancing the role of customs in disaster relief, and studying cargo release times.

PTC 245/246 Plenary Session. Photo: WCO

The meeting also discussed, provided guidance on, and adopted several important contents of the PTC's 2022-2025 work program related to customs procedures, trade facilitation, and ensuring the security of the global supply chain.

Notably, this was the first meeting under Vietnam's chairmanship of the PTC, led by Ms. Nguyen Thi Vinh Hoai, Counsellor at the Vietnamese Embassy in Belgium and Vietnam's Customs Representative to the WCO.

In his opening remarks, WCO Secretary-General Ian Saunders commended the achievements and results that the PTC has achieved in recent years, emphasizing the PTC's important role in implementing activities related to trade facilitation in the WCO's 2022-2025 Action Plan.

Secretary-General Ian Saunders reaffirmed the three important pillars that guide the PTC in the current global trade context: strengthening global cooperation, embracing technology and innovation, and enhancing adaptability and sustainability.

Accordingly, Secretary-General Ian Saunders called on and expressed his desire for the PTC and its members to continue to make stronger contributions to building customs and trade facilitation policies in conjunction with the effective application of breakthrough technologies, and building a data ecosystem in customs management.

WCO Secretary General Ian Saunders (center) delivers opening remarks. Photo: WCO

Particular attention was drawn to members regarding the need to enhance readiness and adaptability to new challenges posed by disruptive technologies, big data, and the impacts of global disruptions and pressures on trade and customs.

With the active participation and effective exchanges of delegates over three working days, the 245th/246th PTC meeting achieved many important results, such as discussing the implementation of the Electronic Commerce Framework, acknowledging the progress made in cross-border e-commerce management by members, and commending the results of the WCO's specialized conference on removing counterfeit goods from e-commerce, emphasizing the need for cooperation with partners to enhance the efficiency, security, and sustainability of cross-border trade.

At this meeting, Vietnamese Customs made a number of positive and important contributions to the Committee regarding the content of research on cargo release times, reviewing the customs terminology list, and the role of customs in disaster relief based on the practical experiences of effective implementation by Vietnamese Customs over the past time.

The PTC appreciated the experiences and implementation practices of Vietnam and other members, and encouraged greater connectivity and information sharing among members to support the fulfillment of commitments and achieve even better results in this area in the future.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Vinh Hoai, Chairwoman of PTC chaired the meeting. Photo: Thúy Hằng

In her closing remarks, as Chair of the PTC, Ms. Nguyen Thi Vinh Hoai expressed her sincere gratitude to the delegates attending the 245th/246th PTC meeting for their positive and effective contributions to the success of the meeting.

At the same time, Ms. Nguyen Thi Vinh Hoai emphasized the importance of continuing to connect and cooperate in regional and global customs based on technology and data ecosystems, strengthening partnerships between customs and related agencies in the process of achieving the goals of trade facilitation and ensuring the security of the global supply chain.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Vinh Hoai, the WCO and its members' steadfast pursuit of sustainable development goals based on digital customs, smart customs, and green customs, as well as strengthening the ability to respond flexibly to the increasing global challenges, is of great value in shaping the inherent capacity of customs authorities worldwide in the future.

It is expected that Ms. Nguyen Thi Vinh Hoai will continue to chair the 247th/248th PTC meeting during her term as Chair of the PTC, which will be held at the WCO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, from May 5 to 8, 2025.