Finance min. opens 78th meeting of WCO

CAIRO – 5 December 2017: Egypt’s Minister of Finance Amr el-Garhy opened the 78th Meeting of the World Customs Organization (WCO) Policy Committee in the attendance of Secretary General of WCO Kunio Mikuriya in Luxor, Egypt, on Monday December 4.

Twenty three of 186 Member States in the executive office of the organization have participated in the meeting.

"The meeting comes at a very critical time in the history of Egypt, as the country has been facing economic, financial and monetary reforms for the last three years," said Garhy at his opening speech.

"Egyptians have borne big challenges and difficulties during the last period," added Garhy, indicating that Egypt has taken measures to develop customs work, including mechanization of customs, electronic data exchange and developing control measures across borders.

"The ministry is about to finish the customs law draft, which has been discussed with businessmen, and is expected to be submitted to the cabinet within three months," stated Garhy.

El-Garhy pointed out that Terrorism is a global phenomenon which threatens the whole world, stressing that there are strict measures in the Egyptian Customs to prevent arms and explosive trafficking.

Secretary General of WCO, Kunio Mikuriya, said that policy committee discussed global trade and tourism facilitation as a main source of developing the economy, as well as the importance of technology in Customs field.

Mikuriya made recommendations facing the security risks that threaten the states especially money laundering and arms trafficking; he also pointed out that Al-Rawdah terrorist attack did not affect the coming of delegations to Egypt.

Mikuriya stressed the support of the organization to tourism and trade to Egypt through preparing document and statement confirm that Luxor is safe and secure.