Secretary General OF WCO visited Israel

During his short visit the Secretary General paid a visit to Yad Vashem and to several customs locations in Israel
 
Mr. Kunio MIKURIYA, Secretary General of the WCO, paid a short visit to Israel and the Palestinian Authority last week.
 
The guest arrived to Israel after participating at the Stakeholder Conference for the Palestinian Revenue and Customs Economic Development Programme held in Ramallah (Palestinian Authority), 24-25 May 2009.
 
Mr. Doron Arbely, Head of the Israel Customs Directorate of the Israel Tax Authority, who was invited to the Ramallah Stakeholder Conference but could not attend sent a recorded speech in which he supported the process of capacity building of the Palestinian Customs Authority.
 
During his short visit the Secretary General paid a visit to Yad Vashem - "Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Authority" and to several customs locations in Israel.
 
At the end of the visit the Secretary General attended a meeting with the heads of the Customs Directorate and representatives of the Federation of the Israeli Customs Brokers and Freight Forwarders headed by Chairman Amir Shani.
 
In his welcome speech Mr. Shani said that: "We are honored because we believe that the WCO and us share similar views, we both regard Customs as a highly critical institution, mainly in the protection of society as well as environmental protection, trade compliance, trade facilitation and protection of cultural heritage.
 
He added "We in Israel share your view that Customs has a key responsibility for economic development which is of critical importance during the current global financial crisis which has affected economies around the world particularly in the area of trade”.
 
Shani praised the cooperation with the Israeli Customs Directorate and "the level ofco-operation we get on daily basis to overcome local as well as international hurdles."
 
In regard the Palestinian importers Shani noted that: "We have actively tried to ensure coordination and harmonization, where possible, between the Israeli and Palestinian standards bodies, in order to guarantee that products do not undergo testing twice by both authorities. We have recognized and supported the establishment of a Palestinian Shipper’s Council which acts as a lobbying body on behalf of businesses that use shipping services, and which should champion the concept of trade facilitation in Palestine Authority. Since the setting up of the council we have had regular business meetings to iron out bilateral problems”.