The WCO is formed in Brussels – 1953, with 183 Countries included as members of WCO.
The World Trade Organization (WTO) and the World Customs Organization (WCO) are significant players in international trade matters. WTO and WCO facilitate the global supply chain.
WCO
The WCO role is to govern various frameworks and conventions that facilitate secure and free flowing international trade. It is made up of representatives of the customs administrations of member countries. The WCO has a number of working standards that provide a significant framework for the operation of Customs in its member countries.
These standards include:
The Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System (also known as Harmonized System or HS) providing the basis for classifying goods for duty, admissibility, and statistic purposes; (revision every 05 years – addition / deletions / changes)
The Customs Valuation Code that outlines methods of assigning values for duty calculation purposes; and
The Safe Framework of Standards to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade that lays out guidelines to ensure the security of the supply chain through the participation of “authorized economic operators” (volunteer participants such as importers, exporters, brokers, freight forwarders, carriers, etc.).
wco strategic plan and mission
At the 2022 WCO Council Sessions, Members endorsed a new Strategic Plan for the 2022-2025 period, comprising a set of indicators and concrete activities to respond to Customs administrations’ needs in trade facilitation, revenue collection, protection of society and organizational development.
The Strategic Plan intends to make sure that the WCO, as an Organization specialized in Customs matters, remains fit for purpose in an increasingly complex environment. To this end, the Strategic Plan pays particular attention on the need for the WCO to maintain its expertise in its core functions while offering flexibility to reinforce its knowledge, understanding and exploration in specific areas where improvement is needed.
The secretariat
The WCO Secretariat, which is based in Brussels, Belgium, consists of more than 150 staffers (Organization Chart – for Members only ) from around the world and runs the WCO’s day-to-day operations under the leadership of a Secretary General.
Together with the WCO’s Committees, the Secretariat implements the WCO Strategic Plan as approved by the Council.
The Secretariat supplies technical, logistical and professional support to the various working bodies established by the Council, delivers capacity building, technical assistance, and training, and develops and maintains international Customs instruments and tools.
The WCO’s official working languages are English and French.
