State Dept. Official Calls Customs Services Key to Protecting Against WMDs
Customs services are key to the fight against weapons of mass destruction proliferation, said Simon Limage, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Nonproliferation Programs, at a World Customs Organization meeting in Brussels, Belgium. "I also would suggest that implementing international strategic trade control best practices provides Customs services an effective means of bridging these demanding and sometimes competing responsibilities: to secure the global supply chain against proliferation threats while contributing to greater trade efficiency and economic development," he said.
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Limage said strategic trade controls best practices include a comprehensive strategic trade control system with a "transparent and comprehensive legal framework consistent with the guidelines and control lists" that identify proliferation-sensitive dual-use and munitions items and enables regulation of their export, re-export, transit and transshipment.
"Another key principle is effective enforcement," Limage said. "This includes harmonized customs clearance procedures; effective means to detect, identify, interdict, seize, and dispose of proliferation sensitive cargo; and the capacity to investigate customs and border security violations and prosecute offenders." Government-industry partnership, including government efforts to educate the industry about its obligations and encourage compliance also are key, he said.
Cooperation and information exchange with domestic and international partners, including mutual assistance on customs and border security issues also are key, Limage said.
"These strategic trade control principles are fully consistent with ... the WCO's own Framework of Standards to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade (SAFE Framework) and draw directly on existing WCO security and facilitation measures and initiatives developed by national Customs administrations," Limage said.
Customs can play a role in providing incentives for industry compliance with enforcement regulations, Limage said. The SAFE Framework calls for establishment and mutual recognition of authorized economic operator (AEO) programs to achieve end-to-end supply chain security and reward responsible traders, Limage said. The U.S. also has already signed Mutual Recognition arrangements with several countries and the EU, which means that the AEO validation of a company in one country is recognized in the other, he said.