Dear colleagues,
I will be reaching the end of my term as Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO) on 31 December.
It has been a pleasure working with you for the past 22 years - 7 years as Deputy Secretary General and 15 years as Secretary General.
During this period, the trade landscape has constantly evolved, and in parallel, stakeholder expectations with regard to Customs have grown. The WCO has strived to address these challenges by supporting the global Customs community in responding to its needs for change and transformation.
I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to you all for your advice, cooperation and trust.
It has been my honour to serve the global Customs community and this would not have been possible without your support.
I will return to Japan early next year. I would also like to express my gratitude to the Japanese government for their support throughout my whole tenure at WCO.
I wish you all the best with the leadership of my successor.
Best regards,
Kunio Mikuriya
**********************************************************************************************************************************************************************
Dear Kunio,
Thank you so much for your contributions to the global Customs community and for your encouragement and support of the private sector in your leadership of the WCO.
These have been challenging times for WCO members and you have shown vision and leadership on complex issues affecting Customs, border management and international trade. You have built and enhanced relationships with donors, other international organizations and the private sector. The COVID pandemic was an example of the strength of the WCO’s collaboration with many stakeholders, and your willingness to listen to impacts and respond to events on a priority basis made all the difference in efforts to manage borders during this time. As a result, good practices were implemented which remain to this day.
Thank you, and congratulations for everything you have done. I say this personally as a woman who has had the opportunity to contribute to and promote the work of the WCO, and on behalf of my customs broker members of the IFCBA around the world. Your legacy provides a strong and stable foundation for the work we do to continue to secure and facilitate trade across borders.
With best wishes to you and your family for the future.
Carol
Carol West
Secretary, IFCBA