On Thursday, October 11, 2018, the second General Assembly meeting of the Arab Union of Customs Brokers was held at the Cleopatra Hall, Conrad Hotel, with the presence of His Excellency Ambassador Mohamed Mohamed El-Rubai, Secretary-General of the Council of Arab Economic Unity, and the members of the Union’s Board of Directors: Dr. Mamdouh Al-Rifai (President of the Union), Taha Al-Qulaisi (Vice President, Yemen), Naja Elias (Lebanon representative), Saadoun Al-Husseini (Kuwait representative), Abdulghaffar Al-Bastaki (Bahrain representative), Mr. Reda Al-Hajj (Egypt representative), Dr. Jaber Abu Halfaya (Customs Legal Advisor).
Also present were members of the Union’s General Assembly: Taysir Al-Khodari (Jordan), Shadi Houshar (Lebanon), Abdullah Al-Mawsali (Lebanon), Abdullah Al-Tuwaijri (Saudi Arabia), Zuhair Abdullah (Sudan), Abdullah Al-Fawaz (Saudi Arabia), and Mohamed Yehia (Egypt).
The meeting began with a welcome from Dr. Mamdouh Al-Rifai to Ambassador Mohamed Mohamed El-Rubai and the attendees, followed by introductions of the members.
His Excellency the Ambassador delivered a speech highlighting the strength and importance of the Union among Arab customs institutions, acknowledging its achievements despite challenges, and its efforts to communicate with various Arab countries and the World Customs Organization (WCO), which contribute to fulfilling the Union’s goals. He expressed thanks to Dr. Al-Rifai for his efforts toward Arab economic growth and integration, praising the Union’s magazine for its role in educating the Arab citizen across various customs and governmental sectors, and emphasized the need to circulate it widely throughout the Arab world. He affirmed his support and encouragement for the Union and stressed the importance of strengthening such relations.
Dr. Mamdouh Al-Rifai thanked the Ambassador for his speech and presented an overview of the Union’s activities from December 2017 to October 2018, including agreements signed with related bodies and various meetings held.
Discussions during the meeting included setting a date and location for the Arab Customs Brokers Conference, proposed for July 11, 2019, and the timing of the 51st session of the Specialized Arab Unions in Kenya, which the Ambassador noted would support the Union’s development, establish a strong economic base, and open opportunities in Africa.
Other topics covered included training programs aimed at issuing accredited certificates from the Union, the Council, and customs authorities; the Arab electronic gateway project for inter-Arab data exchange; the Arab Academy of Customs Sciences, accredited by the National Library and Ministry of Culture; and a documentary film project intended to raise awareness about commercial fraud, customs evasion, and the parallel economy. The film will highlight incidents and damages caused by fraud and will involve cooperation with health organizations, consumer protection agencies, customs authorities, standards and measurements bodies, and other related entities, targeting all Arab countries.
The meeting also discussed the idea of opening Union branches in Arab countries and increasing membership numbers, noting that the Council of Arab Economic Unity has approved this and that activation plans are underway.
It was noted that a meeting with customs brokers would be held to clarify their benefits.
Several proposals were debated, including an online training course for assistant brokers, which received support from Saadoun Al-Husseini, who also advocated for opening branches in all Arab countries, starting with Kuwait. Abdulghaffar Al-Bastaki emphasized targeting owners of such offices.
Dr. Mamdouh Al-Rifai stressed the importance of these ideas and suggested starting training in selected Arab countries immediately. He also pointed out that customs brokers would receive benefits that motivate them to enroll in such courses.
He mentioned the Union’s legal department’s readiness to engage with the business sector to provide legal support and protection to brokers.
In closing, Dr. Al-Rifai reaffirmed that the ultimate goal is to support the customs broker profession and thanked all attendees for their participation.
