Governments play a central role in advancing digitalization and information sharing across supply chains, which is crucial for enhancing trade facilitation and global economic growth. Digital processes are fundamental for modernizing border management, optimizing risk assessment, streamlining clearance and reinforcing controls. By making optimal use of digital information, customs can continue to provide effective facilitation and security in the context of growing trade volumes and supply chain complexity.
The World Customs Organization (WCO) sets international standards for customs, and its work has demonstrated a focus on guiding and enabling digitalization and information sharing.
The WCO’s Revised Kyoto Convention provides guidance to customs administrations to promote interoperability, eliminate redundancies, enhance data quality and enable data reuse throughout supply chains.
Other WCO tools and concepts, like the WCO Data Model and Coordinated Border Management, promote global interoperability between various IT systems and facilitate cooperation among all stakeholders, ensuring effective data sharing.
However, as digital data proliferate, governments must address privacy concerns with robust cybersecurity measures and clear legal frameworks. The WCO Single Window Compendium guides governments on issues of data ownership, intellectual property, privacy rights and liability. To gain and maintain the trust of supply chain actors, governments must prioritize data protection, balancing operational efficiency with privacy rights. Implementing and upholding privacy laws is essential for the digital transformation of supply chains, respecting both individual and corporate data security.
The potential of digitalization and information sharing to support global supply chains is clear, as is the important role of customs in this context.
The WCO is working to help customs administrations realize this potential through standards and guidance that give practical focus and affirm the importance of interoperability, cooperation and data protection.