The Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO) We are pleased with the establishment of the Arab Union of Customs Brokers and its role in contributing to the formulation of customs policies. Its activities aimed at raising awareness, building capacities, and working to facilitate customs procedures are highly commendable.
We thank the Arab Union of Customs Brokers for its fruitful and constructive efforts in serving Arab joint action. The relationship between the Union and the Economic Affairs Sector of the League of Arab States is a partnership in organizing all activities and events that serve Arab cooperation. We look forward to further collaboration.
We thank the Arab Union of Customs Brokers for its important and effective role, especially its focus on the customs broker and its efforts to enhance the profession. We commend its active activities and its cooperation with the Egyptian Customs Authority.
We consider the Arab Common Market as an important phase that gives the Arab individual a strategic dimension in determining his position on the global economic map. We have important steps toward realizing this vision, represented by the Arab Free Trade Area. The new year brings good tidings and a glimmer of hope with the launch of the Arab Customs Union, which is a vital mechanism for the Arab Common Market.
The partnership between Sudanese Customs and customs brokers is a longstanding one, as the customs broker is the right-hand assistant in completing customs procedures. The customs broker acts as a safeguard in customs operations, and therefore must be characterized by integrity and transparency.
There must be a cleanup of the paper-based environment from complicated, routine customs procedures before transitioning to the electronic environment. From my perspective, the customs broker represents 90% of electronic clearance, while customs represents only 10%, as the role of customs is limited to monitoring only.
I commend the significant role played by the Arab Union of Customs Brokers in connecting and developing the Arab economy. Here in Kuwait, we support the Union through collaboration in combating commercial fraud and achieving its desired goals through awareness and knowledge, via joint seminars, training sessions, and conferences.
