The 23rd World Customs Organization (WCO) Asia/Pacific (A/P) Regional Contact Points Meeting was held on 22–24 October 2013 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Ms Teresa Conolan, from the Vice–Chair Office, Australian Customs and Border Protection Service co–chaired the meeting with Dato’Ab.Hamid bin Salleh, from the Royal Malaysian Customs Department.
The meeting, which is held annually, provided the opportunity for Customs administrations across the region to discuss and exchange ideas and views on matters of common interest. Delegates shared information on a number of initiatives including New Zealand’s ‘What’s My Duty’ App, the outcomes of the regional workshop on computer forensics in Hong Kong and progress on the proposed regional Customs Laboratory in the Asia/Pacific region.
The Draft Regional Strategic Plan 2014–2016 was supported by delegates. The Plan will go to the next Regional Heads of Customs Administrations (RHCA) Conference to be held in Australia 30 April to 2 May 2014 for endorsement.
A number of themes were identified for discussion at the RHCA meeting including how to handle emerging issues, integrity, and frequency of RHCA, Customs–Business partnerships, capacity building priorities and regional priorities. These themes will be discussed in detail with members in the coming months.
