Uzbekistan Strengthens Customs Cooperation With WCO At Brussels Session

(MENAFN- Trend News Agency) TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, June 28. Chairman of the State Customs Committee of Uzbekistan, Akmalkhuja Mavlonov, held a bilateral meeting with World Customs Organization (WCO) Secretary General Ian Saunders on the sidelines of an international session in Brussels, which brought together delegations from 186 countries, Trend reports.

Uzbekistan continues to be an engaged stakeholder in the Global Trade Facilitation Program, a collaborative endeavor between the World Customs Organization and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. Currently in its second iteration (2024–2027), the initiative seeks to streamline transnational trade protocols, mitigate trade-associated expenditures, and optimize the efficacy of customs processing.

In alignment with collaborative frameworks established alongside the World Customs Organization (WCO) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), customs operatives from Uzbekistan have engaged in approximately ten specialized technical seminars concentrating on the intricacies of risk management paradigms and time-release analytical methodologies. A pivotal milestone of this collaboration was the designation of Customs Committee officer Sh. Niyazov as a certified WCO International Expert-an affirmation of the escalating proficiency within Uzbekistan's customs framework.

In the course of the assembly, Chairman Mavlonov put forth a proposition to facilitate the WCO Global Canine Forum in Uzbekistan in the year 2026. He also underscored the nation's strategic inclination towards amplifying synergies within the framework of the“Smart Customs” paradigm, which is designed to catalyze digital transformation and enhance the modernization of border and trade governance.

The two sides identified several strategic directions for future cooperation, reaffirming Uzbekistan's strong engagement with the international customs community and its commitment to aligning with global best practices.

Meanwhile, due to limited time, the WCO Secretary General was able to hold bilateral meetings with only about ten customs leadership representatives. Uzbekistan was among this select group, underscoring the international community's growing recognition of the consistent and ongoing customs reforms taking place in the country.

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