World Customs Organization


The World Customs Organization is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. Notable projects include its collaboration with the WTO on trade facilitation and the implementation of the SAFE Framework of Standards to secure global supply chains. The WCO works on customs-related matters including the development of international conventions, instruments, and tools on topics such as commodity classification, valuation, rules of origin, collection of customs revenue, supply chain security, international trade facilitation, customs enforcement activities, combating counterfeiting in support of intellectual property rights, illegal drug enforcement, combating counterfeiting of medicinal drugs, illegal weapons trading, integrity promotion, and delivering sustainable capacity building to assist with customs reforms and modernization. The WCO maintains the international Harmonized System goods nomenclature, and administers the technical aspects of the World Trade Organization Agreements on Customs Valuation and Rules of Origin. The WCO oversees the implementation of new technologies, artificial intelligence, to improve the efficiency of customs operations. Furthermore, the WCO is involved in addressing emerging issues, such as the digitalization of customs systems.

History

On 23 August 1947 the Committee for European Economic Cooperation created a European Customs Union Study Group to examine economic and technical issues of inter-European Customs Union concerning the rules of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. In total, six ECUSG meetings were held in four years from November 1947 to June 1950. This work of ECUSG led to the adoption in 1950 of the Convention establishing the Customs Co-operation Council, which was signed in Brussels. On 26 January 1953 the CCC's inaugural session took place with the participation of 17 founding members. CCC membership subsequently expanded to cover all regions of the globe. In 1994, the organization adopted its current name, the World Customs Organization. Today, WCO members are responsible for customs controls in 186 countries representing more than 98 percent of all international trade.
One of the major turning points in the WCO’s history was its expansion beyond Europe, which allowed it to become a truly global organization. This expansion was fueled by the recognition of the need for standardized customs procedures across different regions of the world, particularly in the post-colonial period when many new nations were emerging. The WCO played a crucial role in helping these nations establish efficient customs administrations. In the 21st century, the WCO has emphasized digitalization and the harmonization of customs systems to address the challenges of global e-commerce and cross-border trade.
The development and implementation of the Harmonized System were direct institutional responses to the severe non-tariff barriers created by fragmented national customs nomenclatures during the late 20th century’s expansion of global trade. Prior to 1988, the lack of a universal classification language resulted in inconsistent product categorization across borders, generating significant uncertainty, administrative delays, and high transaction costs for internationally-trading firms.

Vision and objectives

The WCO is internationally acknowledged as the global center of customs expertise and plays a leading role in the discussion, development, promotion and implementation of modern customs systems and procedures. The WCO has supported the modernization of customs procedures in over 180 countries through initiatives like the Revised Kyoto Convention and the Harmonized System. It is responsive to the needs of its members and its strategic environment, and its instruments and best-practice approaches are recognized as the basis for sound customs administration throughout the world.
The WCO's primary objective is to enhance the efficiency effectiveness other members customs administrations, thereby assisting them to contribute successfully to national development goals, particularly revenue collection, national security, trade facilitation, community protection, and collection of trade statistics.

Instruments

In order to achieve its objectives, the WCO has adopted a number of customs instruments, including but not limited to the following:

Online tools

The World Customs Organization released a new online platform, WCO Trade Tools, that encompasses the Harmonized System, preferential Rules of Origin and Valuation. It includes the 2002, 2007, 2012, 2017 and 2022 editions of the HS, around 400 Free Trade Agreements with their preferential Rules of Origin/ and Product Specific rules, and the set list of Valuation texts, including those of the Technical Committee on Customs Valuation.

Administration

The WCO Secretariat is headed by a Secretary General, who is elected by the WCO membership to a five-year term. Ian Saunders from the United States was elected WCO Secretary General in June 2023 and took office on 1 January 2024.
The WCO is governed by the council, which brings together all members of the organization once a year, in a meeting chaired by an elected chairperson. Additional strategic and management guidance is provided by the Policy and Finance committees.
There are several other WCO committees, including the Harmonized System Committee, the Permanent Technical Committee, the Technical Committee on Customs Valuation, Technical Committee on Rules of Origin, the Capacity Building Committee, and the SAFE Working Group.
Under the leadership of recent Secretaries General, the WCO has increasingly embraced digital transformation in customs practices, focusing on the adoption of technology to streamline border processes. These initiatives, such as the implementation of artificial intelligence in customs operations, have placed the WCO at the forefront of modern customs administration, ensuring that its members are well-equipped to face the challenges of an increasingly interconnected global economy.

Members

RegionMemberDate Of Membership
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		Antigua and Barbuda10/04/2017
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		Argentina01/07/1968
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		Bahamas16/08/1974
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		Barbados07/01/1999
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		Belize22/04/2008
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		Bermuda01/07/1990
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		Bolivia14/08/1997
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		Brazil19/01/1981
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		Canada12/10/1971
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		Chile01/07/1966
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		Colombia11/07/1993
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		Costa Rica29/08/2001
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		Cuba01/07/1988
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		Curaçao11/07/1988
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		Dominican Republic28/07/2004
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		Ecuador16/12/1997
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		El Salvador07/07/2005
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		Guatemala22/02/1985
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		Guyana29/07/1976
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		Haiti31/01/1958
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		Honduras08/12/2005
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		Jamaica29/03/1963
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		Mexico08/02/1988
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		Nicaragua24/09/1998
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		Panama08/03/1996
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		Paraguay03/10/1969
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		Peru27/01/1970
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		Saint Lucia12/05/2005
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		Suriname26/11/2018
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		Trinidad and Tobago15/10/1973
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		United States05/11/1970
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		Uruguay16/09/1977
South America, North America,
Central America and the Caribbean		Venezuela01/07/1996
EuropeAlbania31/08/1992
EuropeAndorra03/09/1998
EuropeArmenia30/06/1992
EuropeAustria21/01/1953
EuropeAzerbaijan17/06/1992
EuropeBelarus16/12/1993
EuropeBelgium11/12/1952
EuropeBosnia and Herzegovina04/07/2008
EuropeBulgaria01/08/1973
EuropeCroatia01/07/1993
EuropeCyprus31/08/1967
EuropeCzech Republic01/01/1993
EuropeDenmark19/10/1951
EuropeEstonia18/06/1992
EuropeEuropean Union*
EuropeFinland27/01/1961
EuropeFrance06/10/1952
EuropeGeorgia26/10/1993
EuropeGermany04/11/1952
EuropeGreece10/12/1951
EuropeHungary16/09/1968
EuropeIceland15/02/1971
EuropeIreland23/09/1952
EuropeIsrael23/05/1958
EuropeItaly20/11/1952
EuropeKazakhstan30/06/1992
EuropeKyrgyzstan10/02/2000
EuropeKosovo25/01/2017
EuropeLatvia22/06/1992
EuropeLithuania18/06/1992
EuropeLuxembourg23/01/1953
EuropeMalta06/07/1968
EuropeMoldova28/10/1994
EuropeMontenegro24/10/2006
EuropeNetherlands23/01/1953
EuropeNorway06/08/1951
EuropeNorth Macedonia01/07/1994
EuropePoland17/07/1974
EuropePortugal26/01/1953
EuropeRomania15/01/1969
EuropeRussian Federation08/07/1991
EuropeSerbia27/03/2001
EuropeSlovakia01/01/1993
EuropeSlovenia07/09/1992
EuropeSpain13/07/1952
EuropeSweden17/10/1952
EuropeSwitzerland19/12/1952
EuropeTajikistan01/07/1997
EuropeTürkiye 06/06/1951
EuropeTurkmenistan17/05/1993
EuropeUkraine26/06/1992
EuropeUnited Kingdom12/09/1952
EuropeUzbekistan28/07/1992
East and Southern AfricaAngola26/09/1990
East and Southern AfricaBotswana25/08/1978
East and Southern AfricaBurundi20/10/1964
East and Southern AfricaComoros01/07/1993
East and Southern AfricaDjibouti19/03/2008
East and Southern AfricaEritrea08/08/1995
East and Southern AfricaEswatini15/05/1981
East and Southern AfricaEthiopia06/08/1973
East and Southern AfricaKenya24/05/1965
East and Southern AfricaLesotho02/08/1978
East and Southern AfricaMadagascar18/02/1964
East and Southern AfricaMalawi06/06/1966
East and Southern AfricaMauritius29/03/1973
East and Southern AfricaMozambique01/07/1987
East and Southern AfricaNamibia01/07/1992
East and Southern AfricaRwanda03/03/1964
East and Southern AfricaSeychelles25/07/2000
East and Southern AfricaSomalia04/10/2012
East and Southern AfricaSouth Africa24/03/1964
East and Southern AfricaSouth Sudan18/07/2012
East and Southern AfricaTanzania07/11/1964
East and Southern AfricaUganda03/11/1964
East and Southern AfricaZambia27/09/1978
East and Southern AfricaZimbabwe19/03/1981
North of Africa, Near and Middle EastAlgeria19/12/1966
North of Africa, Near and Middle EastBahrain18/04/2001
North of Africa, Near and Middle EastEgypt26/10/1956
North of Africa, Near and Middle EastIraq06/06/1990
North of Africa, Near and Middle EastJordan01/01/1964
North of Africa, Near and Middle EastKuwait04/10/1993
North of Africa, Near and Middle EastLebanon20/05/1960
North of Africa, Near and Middle EastLibya11/01/1983
North of Africa, Near and Middle EastMorocco01/07/1968
North of Africa, Near and Middle EastOman11/09/2000
North of Africa, Near and Middle EastPalestine24/03/2015
North of Africa, Near and Middle EastQatar04/05/1992
North of Africa, Near and Middle EastSaudi Arabia08/05/1973
North of Africa, Near and Middle EastSudan08/06/1960
North of Africa, Near and Middle EastSyrian Arab Republic19/11/1959
North of Africa, Near and Middle EastTunisia20/07/1966
North of Africa, Near and Middle EastUnited Arab Emirates07/02/1979
North of Africa, Near and Middle EastYemen01/07/1993
West and Central AfricaBenin09/11/1998
West and Central AfricaBurkina Faso16/09/1966
West and Central AfricaCameroon09/04/1965
West and Central AfricaCape Verde01/07/1992
West and Central AfricaCentral African Republic28/07/1986
West and Central AfricaChad16/02/2005
West and Central AfricaCongo 02/09/1975
West and Central AfricaCôte d'Ivoire02/09/1963
West and Central AfricaDemocratic Republic of the Congo26/07/1972
West and Central AfricaEquatorial Guinea22/12/2021
West and Central AfricaGabon18/02/1965
West and Central AfricaGambia14/10/1987
West and Central AfricaGhana01/08/1968
West and Central AfricaGuinea30/10/1991
West and Central AfricaGuinea-Bissau19/08/2010
West and Central AfricaLiberia07/01/1975
West and Central AfricaMali07/08/1987
West and Central AfricaMauritania02/10/1979
West and Central AfricaNiger01/07/1981
West and Central AfricaNigeria21/08/1963
West and Central AfricaSao Tome and Principe23/09/2009
West and Central AfricaSenegal10/03/1976
West and Central AfricaSierra Leone06/11/1975
West and Central AfricaTogo12/02/1990
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		Afghanistan 10/08/2004
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		Australia05/01/1961
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		Bangladesh01/07/1978
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		Bhutan12/02/2002
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		Brunei Darussalam01/07/1996
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		Cambodia03/04/2001
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		China18/07/1983
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		Fiji01/07/1997
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		Hong Kong, China01/07/1987
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		India15/02/1971
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		Indonesia30/04/1957
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		Iran 16/10/1959
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		Japan15/06/1964
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		Korea 02/07/1968
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		Lao People’s Democratic Republic16/01/2007
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		Macao, China07/07/1993
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		Malaysia30/06/1964
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		Maldives08/09/1995
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		Mongolia17/09/1991
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		Myanmar 25/03/1991
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		Nepal22/07/1986
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		New Zealand16/05/1963
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		Pakistan16/11/1955
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		Palau02/02/2024
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		Papua New Guinea18/03/2002
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		Philippines01/10/1980
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		Solomon Islands26/01/2023
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		Samoa01/10/2001
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		Singapore09/07/1975
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		Sri Lanka29/05/1967
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		Thailand04/02/1972
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		Timor-Leste19/09/2003
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		Tonga01/07/2005
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		Vanuatu17/11/2009
Far East, South and South East Asia,
Australasia and the Pacific Islands		Vietnam01/07/1993

  • Status akin to WCO membership