The World Customs Organization was founded in 1952 under the legal name “The Customs Co-operation Council”. Since its inception, the World Customs Organization, with the active involvement of Customs experts and trade partners from around the world, has been striving to achieve the balance between trade facilitation and compliance with statutory requirements. The efforts of the World Customs Organization are focused at simplifying and standardizing Customs practices across its Member administrations. The organization has developed Conventions, standards and programmes through which its Member Customs administrations have been able to offer their governments enhanced trade facilitation combined with effective Customs control.
Trade facilitation is one of the key factors for economic development of nations and is closely tied into national agendas on social well being, poverty reduction and economic development of countries and their citizens.
In international trade Customs plays a critical role not only in providing expedited clearing processes but also in implementing effective controls that secure revenue, ensure compliance with national laws, and ensure security and protection of society. The efficiency and effectiveness of Customs procedures has a significant influence on the economic competitiveness of nations and in the growth of international trade and the development of the global marketplace.
Trade facilitation, in the WCO context, means the avoidance of unnecessary trade restrictiveness. This can be achieved by applying modern techniques and technologies, while improving the quality of controls in an internationally harmonized manner.
The WCO’s mission is to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of Customs administrations by harmonizing and simplifying Customs procedures. This in turn will lead to trade facilitation which has been a genuine objective of the WCO since its establishment in 1952. In order to further trade facilitation, the WCO has developed and maintained Conventions, standards and programmes and provided technical assistance and support for capacity building. Through these instruments and activities, its Member Customs administrations have been able to offer their governments and other stakeholders enhanced trade facilitation combined with effective Customs control.