The World Customs Organization (WCO), established in 1952 as the Customs Co-operation Council (CCC), is an independent intergovernmental body whose mission is to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of Customs administrations.
Today, the WCO represents 186 Customs administrations across the globe that collectively process approximately 98% of world trade. The WCO develops international standards, fosters cooperation and builds capacity to facilitate legitimate trade, to secure a fair revenue collection and to protect society, providing leadership, guidance and support to Customs administrations.
The importance of technology is undisputed in today’s world and could still be further explored by the WCO at many levels. Considering the diversity of its membership, the Organization should focus on reducing the digital gap between Members and initiating concrete steps towards the full digitalization of procedures, the use of data analytics and the exchange of information in a dematerialized way.
WCO addresses the significant needs in this area through three main aspects:
On 11 June 2024, the WCO held a Symposium titled “Removing counterfeits from e-commerce”, preceded by the Operation STOP III report launch.
As a follow-up, on 15 January 2025 the Secretariat held the second iteration of the Symposium with a special focus on medicines and medical devices. Over 1,000 individuals registered for the event, thereby endorsing the WCO’s efforts to address the issue of IPR infringements via e-commerce.
