Singapore Customs participates actively in various international and regional customs fora. Through participation in these fora, we hope to foster closer co-operation with other Customs administrations and work together towards the facilitation of international trade and travel.
The World Customs Organisation (WCO) is an independent intergovernmental body whose mission is to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of Customs administrations. The WCO was established as the Customs Co-operation Council (CCC) in 1952. The CCC adopted the working name World Customs Organisation in 1994 in order to reflect its transition to a truly global intergovernmental institution. Singapore became a member of the WCO in 1975. Under the regional structure of the WCO membership, Singapore belongs to the "Far East, South and South East Asia, Australasia and the Pacific Islands" region.
Click on the link below for more information:
WCO homepage
The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) was established in 1989 in response to the growing interdependence among Asia-Pacific economies. Begun as an informal dialogue group, APEC has since become the primary regional vehicle for promoting open trade and practical economic cooperation. Today, APEC comprises 21 member economies from the region. Various committees, ad hoc policy level groups, working groups and other fora have been established under APEC to advance economic dynamism and a sense of community in the Asia-Pacific region.
The Customs Procedures Working Group was established in 1993 and became the Sub-Committee on Customs Procedures (SCCP) in 1994. The SCCP reports to the Committee on Trade and Investment (CTI). Its mandate is to facilitate trade by simplifying and harmonising Customs procedures. It is guided by the five principles of Facilitation, Accountability, Consistency, Transparency and Simplification (FACTS). One of the major undertakings of the SCCP is the implementation of the Collective Action Plans (CAP). Singapore also actively participates in various working groups within SCCP to contribute our ideas and experience.
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APEC homepage
Singapore chaired the SCCP in 2009. Click on the link below to download the Blueprint showing the achievements and outcomes of the SCCP during our host year.
APEC SCCP 2009 Blueprint
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established on 8 August 1967. Customs cooperation in ASEAN has a long history dating back to the 1980s. Several instruments have been concluded over the years to further the cooperation among ASEAN Customs administrations - ASEAN Customs Code of Conduct (1983, revised 1995), and ASEAN Agreement on Customs (1997).
The ASEAN Directors-General of Customs in May 1997 adopted the ASEAN Customs Vision 2020 to chart the future role of ASEAN Customs administrations and to set new heights for customs cooperation in ASEAN, "An ASEAN Customs Partnership for World Class Standards and Excellence in efficiency, professionalism and service, and uniformity through harmonised procedures, to promote trade and investment and to protect the health and well-being of the ASEAN community." The ASEAN Customs Policy Implementation & Work Programme (PIWP) for 1999-2004 and the ASEAN Strategic Plan of Customs Development (SPCD) for 2005-2010 were formulated to realise the ASEAN Customs Vision 2020. Singapore is the country co-ordinator for three elements in the latest SPCD, namely, customs transit, customs temporary admission and customs tariff classification.
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ASEAN homepage
The inaugural Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) was held in Bangkok on 1-2 March 1996 and attended by the Heads of State and Government from ten Asian nations and fifteen European nations. Amongst other things, the Meeting agreed to undertake facilitation and liberalisation measures involving the simplification and harmonisation of customs procedures, to strengthen cooperation between the two regions to deal with illicit drug trafficking and to consider the development of closer cooperation in these areas among the Customs authorities in Asia and Europe. Pursuant to this mandate, the ASEM Directors-General and Commissioners of Customs Meeting was convened in Shenzhen on 21 June 1996. The Directors-General and Commissioners agreed to establish a Procedures Working Group and an Enforcement Working Group to address the two main subjects of cooperation. A major undertaking of the Procedures Working Group is the implementation of the Customs portion of the Trade Facilitation Action Plan (TFAP). The Department participates actively in the meetings of the two working groups and is committed towards achieving the customs deliverables in the TFAP.
Click on the link below for more information:
ASEM Customs Procedures Database