PURPOSE: The International Customs Day observed on 26 January is dedicated to the united efforts of Customs to support people and businesses by strengthening the global supply chain, reinforcing collaboration, harnessing technology and putting traditional and new partners at the centre of the transformation process. The customs administrations worldwide are invited to follow the WCO Strategic Plan 2022-2025.

FORUM: “Customs Delivering on its Commitment to Efficiency, Security and Prosperity.” International Customs Day 2025. The World Customs Organization (WCO) is dedicating 2025 to Customs Delivering on its Commitment to Efficiency, Security and Prosperity. The Secretariat is inviting Members to look at how they support newly-recruited officers, facilitate the sharing of knowledge, and heighten the sense of pride in being part of this institution and of the global Customs community. The WCO Members will have the opportunity to showcase the efforts and activities in this domain. Follow the conversation with the hashtags: #InternationalCustomsDay, #26January, #Customs.

EVENTS: on January 26th, International Customs Day 2025, The participants are invited to mark the Anniversary of the WCO - a unique Organization dedicated to international cooperation and the sharing of knowledge.

UPCOMING CONFERENCES: On January 15th 2025, from 13:00 to 15:00 (Brussels time) was held the 2nd Symposium on "Removing counterfeits from e-commerce". In 11 June 2024, the WCO organized a Symposium on “Removing counterfeits from e-commerce” preceded by the Operation STOP III report launch. This event, the first of its kind under the IPR, Health and Safety Programme, attracted more than 350 registrations from WCO Member administrations, the Regional Intelligence Liaison Office (RILO) network, international organizations, rights holders, industry, academia and private sector representatives, including e-commerce platforms, Customs brokers, express carriers and postal operators. The Symposium presented and described the landscape of illicit goods based on WCO data analysis resulting mainly from Operation STOP III and from seizures by other WCO Members and other stakeholders. In addition, through a panel discussion on the “Paradigm shift to bring about better results in the fight against counterfeiting in e-commerce”, the Symposium provided an opportunity for discussions on the challenges faced by Customs and the private sector with respect to intellectual property right (IPR) enforcement, particularly in the e-commerce domain.

Objectives: The aim of this second edition of the Symposium is to continue raising awareness among Customs officials and the general public about the threat of counterfeiting through e-commerce. This edition of the Symposium has a special focus on substandard, counterfeit and falsified medicines and medical devices.

Target audience

• WCO Member administrations and the RILO network

• International organizations

• Rights holders and industry representatives

• Private sector representatives (e-commerce platforms, Customs brokers, express carriers, postal operators)

• Academia

Format: The Symposium will be held in a hybrid format.

Registration: When registering, attendees may choose to attend either in-person at WCO Headquarters in Brussels or online. Register to participate, get the agenda programme and the list of speackers!

PUBLICATIONS: Get the following resources to read about Customs!

1. The Harmonized System (a Universal Language for International Trade) allows a world of many languages to speak with one. It enables the identification of thousands of products that cross our borders thanks to its 6 digits hierarchical structures. It is a multipurpose nomenclature and a reference for trade, the HS is one of the most successful instruments developed by the World Customs Organization. Its Convention has 156 Contracting Parties and the HS is used by more than 200 countries, territories and Customs or Economic Unions. It forms the basis for Customs tariffs and statistical nomenclatures around the world, and is used for around 98% of world trade. 

2. This fourth volume deals with the Global Information and Intelligence Strategy developed by the Secretariat of the World Customs Organization together with Customs Administrations Members of WCO. It is a summary document which sets out the framework for an information and intelligence management plan aimed at optimizing controls on the cross-frontier movement of goods and facilitating legitimate trade. This material is intended both for Customs administrations and for their partners, being both the sources and the users of information and intelligence.

3. The World Customs Organization (WCO) Handbook on HS Classification is an essential introduction to the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System, also known as the Harmonized System or HS. This 3rd edition 2022 of the HS Manual expands on the previous 2013 version in several ways and will be of interest to experts and beginners alike. It explains the origins of the Harmonized System, the complete procedure leading to classification decisions, sets out the provisions for its maintenance and describes the complementary publications of the Harmonized System.

4. The Compendium of Classification Opinions regroups the list of classification opinions taken by the Harmonized System Committee. Most of these classification opinions are present at a sub-heading level (6 digits) in the Nomenclature and address the classification of products such as “Mozzarella cheese” 0406.10. The Classification Opinions aim to facilitate the interpretation of the HS Nomenclature and its Explanatory Notes. For the last 35 years, the Harmonized System has become a universal customs language for classifying goods and is the foundation of all National tariff around the world.

5. Explanatory Notes to the Harmonized System 2022 are interpretative texts developed by the Harmonized System Committee and adopted by the Council. They provide technical descriptions of goods and practical indications for the classification and identification of products.

STATEMENTS: Message by the Secretary-General of the WCO on International Customs Day 2025; January 26th.