The 27th World Customs Organization (WCO) Asia Pacific Regional Contact Points Meeting hosted by the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection commenced in Cairns, Queensland yesterday.
Delegates from 22 Asia Pacific member administrations as well as representatives from WCO, the WCO Regional Intelligence Liaison Office and the WCO Regional Office for Capacity Building have gathered for the annual meeting which will discuss a variety of issues relevant to customs in the region.
The meeting was officially opened by Eva Becos-Cole, Acting Assistant Secretary, Trusted Trader and Industry Engagement Branch of the Department of Australian Immigration and Border Protection, who spoke on issues such as the impact of economics on the global landscape, trade modernisation and the significance of e-commerce within the customs environment.
Becos-Cole also highlighted the significance of big data analytics in combating terrorism and transnational crime in the global arena.
The meeting is being chaired by WCO Asia Pacific regional Vice-Chair and Fiji Revenue and Customs Service Chief Executive Officer, Visvanath Das who, in his welcoming remarks, emphasized the importance of partnership amongst customs administrations in order to successfully address issues faced within Asia Pacific and globally.