The International Customs Day (ICD) is celebrated on 26 January to commemorate the inaugural session of the World Customs Organisation WCO), which was held on this day in 1953. The day also raises awareness about the importance of customs authorities and their role in the smooth movement of goods across borders.
Customs authorities are extremely important in facilitating legitimate trade and helping governments levy tariffs, and earn revenue, from the movement of goods across international borders. These authorities also coordinate to prevent illegal trade in products such as body parts of endangered species like rhino horns, drugs and other prohibited substances.
History:
The World Customs Organisation was formed in 1952 as the Customs Co-operation Council (CCC). The main function of this independent governmental body was to boost the efficiency and effectiveness of customs administrations, according to its official website.
The inaugural session of the council was held on 26 January, 1953, with 17 member countries participating in the event. Since then, the organisation has expanded to 183 members.
Significance:
The WCO represents 183 customs administrations which collectively process about 98 per cent of world trade, according to the organisation. The WCO is the only global body which represents the international customs community.
Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, it is also responsible for maintaining international standards and cooperation between different customs administrations. The WCO also helps in border control issues and in securing fair revenue collections.
Theme:
This year, the theme of International Customs Day is “Scaling up Customs Digital Transformation”, according to the official website of the WCO. The organisation said that it was dedicating this year to create a data ecosystem and scale-up digital transformation.
Celebrations:
Every year, the WCO observes International Customs Day by organising events to raise awareness about the importance of customs authorities and their contribution to global trade. Several seminars, conferences and workshops take place on this day on various aspects related to the movement of goods across international borders.
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