REPORT OF WCO BY INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SUB-COMMITTEE (IMSC)


IMSC - 4/8 February 2002

Attended by over 80 representatives from 52 Customs administrations and industry 
associations. 

The meeting focused on outcomes and deliverables for consideration by the Permanent 
Technical Committee [PTC] in March and the WCO's Council in June.  

Useful information was provided about modernisation developments in a number of 
administrations - it is apparent that Australia is still very much at the 
leading edge of online Customs business processes backed by risk management/
post event auditing.  

Interest in Cargo Management Reengineering (CMR) is very high and the US, with its 
Automated Commercial Environment now underway, is keen to stay in touch. 

The IMSC Report to the PTC covers:

A	e-commerce strategy-part of the review of the Strategic Plan requested by
	Policy Commission. 

	The Strategy and the WCO's Kyoto Convention IT Guidelines have been 
	'merged'.  

	This is being considered in the context of a totally paperless Customs
	cargo processing environment, dependant on re-engineered Customs business
	processes.  

B	WCO Data Model - final set received from the G7 and all IMSC members were 
	asked to analyse their data requirements against the WCO Data Model - with
	stakeholder involvement welcomed.

	An expert modeling team (lead by Australia) will undertake data modeling of
	commercial processes, developing illustrative scenarios using the Kyoto
	Convention, and report initial  findings to the June IMSC.  

	The WCO Data Model Version 1 is frozen for 4 years to allow administrations 
	to undertake 'prototype' development.  

	Using the latest G7 data set Australia and New Zealand will update the ANZ 
	Common Data Model - that will be posted to respective web sites, comment 
	from AQIS and industry will be sought.  

	Linkages to ebXML were also raised and the US and WCO Secretariat have
	offered to draft a first cut of Customs core components - using the UN/CEFACT 
	approved technical specifications issued last last year.  

	This is a matter that will be discussed with the Australian ebXML working 
	party chaired by Tradegate ECA.

C	Kyoto IT Guidelines - amended version for PTC and Council consideration.  

	It was recommended that these 'become' the WCO's IT Strategy and thus 
	contribute to the overall e-commerce business strategy.  

	The Guidelines contain considerable improvements - a management summary, an
	e-commerce chapter as well as an expanded chapter on Public Key Infrastructure; 

D	Unique Consignment Reference number (UCR) - amended guidelines for its use 
	have been sent to the PTC and will also be sent to industry for formal
	consultation.  

	Aim is to finalise draft at the next IMSC in June and to Council in 2003.  

	The concept was strongly supported by a number of Customs administrations
	(for instance,	US, Canada, UK, Malaysia), the International Federation of 
	Customs Brokers Association as well as other industry representatives.  

	US Customs provided the example of a similar number being used for land 
	transport at the Canadina border - and working very well.  

	For the moment the UCR is an optional data field within CMR, its use in 
	bilateral projects with, say the UK, is likely to become mandatory.  

	The view by some industry representatives was that to be successful the UCR 
	needed to be mandatory - certainly for the moment successful use was 
	predicated on both parties (imports/exports) using the UCR.  

	There was also a strong view that the UCR should be supplied by Customs 
	administrations.

Presentations were as follows:

a	Australia (CMR, e-commerce and the Customs Connect Facility);

b	Denmark (web gateway and modernised business systems); 

c	Israel (modernised Customs system) and 

d	UN on business modeling.  


Customs and IT Symposium

The Symposium was most successful, some 400 Customs and industry representatives 
attended various sessions and workshops.  

Very good industry representation -the WCO has been asked to make this a regular 
event.  

A DVD of the event will be produced and papers will also be posted to the WCO 
public web site.   

The WCO's Secretary General opened and closed the Symposium and there were a number
of high profile speakers (Vice President from Oracle and similar from Microsoft).

Range of presentations covered general e-commerce matters from both an industry and 
Customs perspective. 

Workshops were held in parallel sessions: 

1	Customs IT processes (USA, Sweden, Mauritius, Mexico and UK); 

2	digital divide and capacity building (UNCTAD, WCO, World Bank, International 
	Chamber of Commerce and Crown Agents UK);

3	Industry supply chains and Customs (Australia, Bolero, IATA and Vastera - 
	George Weise former US Customs Commissioner); 

4	Legal issues covering a secure Customs environment (IDENTRUS - banking PKI, 
	UN/CEFACT Legal	Rapporteur and Malaysia Customs), and 

5	Passenger Clearance systems (US Customs, Revenue Canada and IATA).