Definition. Those topical issues currently under discussion, being given consideration, or actively receiving attention, which relate to the policy, operational, or technical environment of the international Customs community.

Overview. The critical roles played by Customs administrations in trade and transportation facilitation, as part of their overall mandate to enforce applicable laws, collect national revenues, ensure security and facilitate legitimate trade, are acknowledged world-wide by industry and other stakeholders. In this context trade and transportation facilitation is designed to enhance the global trading system and Customs contributes to this by ensuring that its administrations are competent and efficient, and that its procedures and controls are effective. In this regard, mention must be made of the work of the World Customs Organization (WCO), with its 168 Members world-wide and its role as the only inter-governmental organisation focusing solely on the affairs of the global Customs community. The WCO has received international recognition for its continuous efforts to harmonize Customs procedures globally to the greatest extent possible by way of its international instruments and for the support it gives national Customs administrations in this respect.

Customs administrations are recognized as positive contributors to national development, and their multi-faceted role includes not only revenue collection and trade facilitation but also the protection and security of society. The key to better trade and transportation facilitation is the enhancement internationally of the efficiency of Customs including its procedures and control measures.

While the necessity for Customs procedures is not questioned, it still remains imperative for these procedures to avoid, where possible, becoming an unnecessary trade restriction through cumbersome document requirements or excessive bureaucracy, for example. Customs procedures must be applied efficiently and effectively without compromising the quality of the controls necessarily applied by Customs administrations. By applying modern techniques such as risk management, implementing the latest information and communication technologies, and using internationally harmonized norms and standards, Customs administrations will be in a position to fulfil their mandate as required by national legislation while facilitating trade and transportation. It is, of course, also important that the apparently conflicting issues of trade facilitation and security are also factored into the current Customs environment. In this context, improvements in implementation capacity and other factors, such as integrity, also need to be addressed by all concerned parties to ensure that legitimate trade and transportation are given full access to facilitation measures within a secure trade supply chain.

At the international level, three major strategies have been identified as crucial to trade facilitation: setting standards for the simplification and harmonization of Customs procedures, the most notable being the WCO’s revised Kyoto Convention; the promotion of international co-operation; and technical assistance and capacity building efforts.

GFP and GFP Partners Activities.  Some of the activities of GFP Partners specifically involve Customs, whereas others represent a subset of a larger-scale trade and public sector reform programme. Together, GFP Partners compliment one another in their efforts to further the global facilitation partnership for trade and transportation.

Where to start. Click here to see the WCO Trade Facilitation Initiatives and Simplification of Customs Procedures - The Revised Kyoto Convention (full text) - The ICC Customs Guidelines

Join the effort! The GFP welcomes feedback/additions/tools/documents from practitioners, that would respond to this topic. The GFP web team is particularly interested in collecting and assembling all the methodologies, survey instruments and results developed and used by its Partners. Please e-mail those to and suggest the topic(s) under which they could be included.