UPU News:-New tools help Posts and Customs know each other better

National postal and customs authorities will soon have new guidelines to help them clarify their practical obligations and ensure efficient customs clearance and timely delivery of postal items.

As parcel volumes grow, national postal and customs officials must work more closely together

The World Customs Organization adopted these guidelines at a recent session of its governing council.

National Posts and Customs tend to deal with each other on an ad hoc basis. The UPU and the WCO now want these entities to firm up their relations, as demands for increased screening of postal items and speedier customs clearing of goods require them to work more closely than ever at the national level.

The guidelines were developed by the joint UPU-WCO contact committee, which has been meeting regularly since 1965.

“It is necessary that the goodwill and good cooperation at the international level cascade down to the national level,” said WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya on a recent visit to the UPU.

MOUs and training

Posts and Customs will use the guidelines to develop memoranda of understanding spelling out the terms and conditions under which both agree to carry out their functions, in compliance with national and international treaty obligations.

The UPU considers the adoption of these guidelines an important step in formalizing the relationship between national postal and customs authorities in an ever-changing global environment.

“Security concerns, global interconnectivity, the growth of e-commerce – all have created a new environment in which Posts and Customs must cooperate more closely and react more quickly,” says UPU Global Supply Chain Coordinator Akhilesh Mathur.

Mathur added that Posts and Customs share the common strategic objective of facilitating trade, and the recently adopted Bali agreement is considered a game changer for businesses seeking to expand across borders.  

The WCO governing council also approved a new WCO-UPU Postal Customs Guide, a textbook of sorts for postal and customs administrative staff who need to get acquainted with the processes, standards and tools used to move mail across borders and clear postal items through customs.