| 10/03/2021 | ||||
 12:00 - 12:10 | Opening Remarks Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General, World Customs Organization | |||
| 12:10 - 12:20 | Key Note Speech Prof. Bernard Hoekman, Research Area Director, EUI | |||
| 12:20 - 13:20 | Session 1: Regional Integration and its Impact on Global Economy Ms. Gael Grooby, Deputy Director, Tariff and Trade Affairs Directorate, World Customs Organization (WCO) Dr. Francis Mangeni, AfCFTA Secretariat Ms. Adrienne Braumiller, Partner & Founder, Braumiller Law Group Ms. Bernadita Palacios Scheggia, Chile Customs Mr. Cuong Ba Tran, ASEAN Secretariat This session will provide an overview of regional integration, covering trade in goods on a global level. It focuses on the latest trends and developments and their impact on rules of origin as well as on the economic impact of rules of origin. The session will also provide success stories for regional integration and touch upon the process of developing rules of origin to enhance regional integration. | |||
| 13:20 - 13:25 | Break | |||
| 13:25 - 14:15 | Session 2: The impact of non-preferential rules of origin in today’s trading environment Mr. Brian Staples, Trade Facilitation Services (TFS), consulting group Mr. Robert S. Smith, Americas Global Trade Leader, EY Mr. Pablo MUÑIZ, Head of the customs practice at VAN BAEL & BELLIS Mr. Zakaria Asmama, Morocco Customs Rules of origin are used as an important trade measure. They do not constitute a trade instrument by themselves and are not to be used to pursue trade objectives directly or indirectly or as a policy measure. However, rules of origin are used to address different commercial policy instruments and can be used to attain specific purposes of national or international policies. This session will discuss the challenges linked to the lack of harmonized non-preferential rules of origin. | |||
| 11/03/2021 | ||||
| 12:00 - 12:50 | Session 3: Update of Rules of Origin to capture the latest edition of the HS Ms. Mette Werdelin Azzam, Rules of Origin expert, former Senior Technical Officer - WCO Secretariat Mr. Kolja Mendel, Managing Partner of Mendel Verlag Mr. Rafael Cornejo, Director, Origen.Digital Ms. Aissata KOFFI YAMEOGO, ECOWAS Commission HS classification plays a pivotal role in determining the origin of goods. In cases where, as a consequence of HS amendments, different editions of the HS are used for the purposes of HS classification and origin determination, respectively, determination of origin becomes complicated and time-consuming. In order to avoid misapplication of rules of origin and to facilitate origin determination, thereby ensuring efficient and effective collection of revenue, it is critically important to update the rules of origin to ensure consistency between HS classification and origin determination. This session will present the current situation on a global level and discuss challenges linked with not updating the rules of origin to capture the latest edition of the HS. | |||
| 12:50 - 12:55 | Break | |||
| 12:55 - 13:55 | Session 4: Revised Kyoto Convention and other WCO origin tools Mr. Goro Suzuki, Technical Attaché- Origin Sub-Directorate, World Customs Organization (WCO) Mr. Roman Bruehwiler, Federal Customs Administration of Switzerland Ms. Rika Tokai, Japan Customs Mr. Kit Hickey, Fonterra Mr. Hervé Godin, European Commission The WCO Policy Commission and Council approved in June 2018 the setting up of a Working Group on the Comprehensive Review of the Revised Kyoto Convention (WGRKC), recognizing the need to ensure that the Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC) remains the blueprint for modern and efficient Customs procedures in the 21st Century. This session will give an overview of the updates linked to rules of origin and discuss how the RKC and other WCO tools can support the implementation of the Trade Facilitation Agreements and Free Trade Agreements. | |||
| 13:55 - 14:00 | Break | |||
| 14:00 - 14:50 | Session 5: WTO Nairobi Decision on Preferential Rules of Origin for LDCs Mr. Demba Seck, Technical Officer – Origin Sub-Directorate, World Customs Organization (WCO) Mr. Darlan F. Marti, WTO Mr. Stefano Inama, Chief, Technical Cooperation and EIF Section, UNCTAD Mr. Donald Tindamanyire, Principal Customs Officer, Tariffs, Valuation and Rules of Origin at the East African Community Secretariat, Tanzania The session will analyze the challenges, progress and future actions in relation to the implementation of the WTO Decision on Preferential Rules of Origin for LDCs, including the technical aspects, the procedural requirements and the obligations of the preference-granting countries. | |||
| 12/03/2021 | ||||
| 12:00 - 13:25 | Session 6: Administration of Rules of Origin Mr. Robert S. Smith, Americas Global Trade Leader, EY Ms. Nan Ding, General Administration of Customs of People’s Republic of China Mr. Jeremy T. Harris, The Inter-American Development Bank Mr. Saba Vallipuram, New Zealand Customs Service Ms. Gabriela Martinez Silva, Director for Foreign Trade Audit, Mexico Customs Administration Mr. Jonas Kasteng, National Board of Trade, Swedish government agency A major challenge for all stakeholders is the lack of harmonization within the area of origin. The WCO is promoting procedural harmonization to ensure facilitation and compliance through the proper implementation of WCO tools on origin. This session will focus on the WCO work program for the simplification and harmonization of Customs procedures. It will also provide good national practices for the implementation of rules of origin and cumulation in an FTA. | |||
| 13:25 - 13:30 | Break | |||
| 13:30 - 14:50 | Session 7: Open Forum on future prospects of Rules of Origin Mr. Konstantinos Kaiopoulos, Director, Tariff and Trade Affairs Directorate, World Customs Organization (WCO) Mr. Åke Weyler, Swedish Association for Textile Importers Prof. Bernard Hoekman, Research Area Director, EUI Mr. Mondher Mimouni, Chief of Trade and Market Intelligence, International Trade Center Ms. Mette Werdelin Azzam, Rules of Origin expert, former Senior Technical Officer - WCO Secretariat This session covers views from different stakeholders on the future developments and the role of the trade community and Customs on a global level in the field of rules of origin. The aim of this session is to generate active discussions between all stakeholders in order to initiate a useful roadmap for the way forward on rules of origin an on how to expand global opportunities under Free Trade Agreements | |||
| 14:50 - 15:00 | Closing Remarks Mr. Ricardo Treviño Chapa, Deputy Secretary General , World Customs Organization ( WCO) | |||
