Qatar Participates in 137th Session of WCO Council

Doha, December 13 (QNA) - The State of Qatar participated in the 137th session of the World Customs Organization (WCO), which was held virtually from Dec. 10 to 12. The State of Qatar was represented in the session by HE the Chairman of the General Authority of Customs (GAC) Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Jamal, where several issues related to regional and international customs were discussed, including the role of customs to facilitate the movement of medicines and vaccines across borders and the emphasis on the commitment of all customs administrations and authorities to facilitate the entry of these goods, within the framework of WCO's recent work to provide continuous directions to all countries and implement special designed operational activities in dealing with vaccine shipments. They also discussed how to provide fast and simplified customs procedures with a high degree of accuracy in dealing with the vaccine, in continuous coordination with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the international transport association. During the session, the GAC affirmed its preparedness to provide all customs facilities related to the entry of COVID-19 vaccine shipments, pointing out the strict follow-up and implementation of all the instructions issued by the international organizations in this regard, in order to achieve maximum accuracy, efficiency and proper handling of the vaccine, which is expected to be received in the near future. During the session, many customs-related topics have also been reviewed, including some technical matters related to the capacity building program, in addition to tariff affairs and following up with developments in passenger entry control under the precautionary measures implemented to limit the spread of COVID-19, as well as other topics on the session's agenda. (QNA)