Ian Saunders Elected Secretary General of World Customs Organization
The U.S. candidate for World Customs Organization secretary general was elected to the post June 24. Ian Saunders, whose five-year term will begin Jan. 1, is currently deputy assistant secretary at the Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration. The secretary-general is responsible for "overseeing the day-to-day activities of the WCO Secretariat," the WCO said in a news release. Saunders has over 20 years in customs and more than 30 years' experience in international relations, CBP and the WCO said.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Export Compliance Daily combines U.S. export control news, foreign border import regulation and policy developments into a single daily information service that reliably informs its trade professional readers about important current issues affecting their operations.
“On behalf of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, we are deeply proud and honored that Mr. Ian Saunders will represent the United States of America as the newest Secretary General of the World Customs Organization,” said CBP acting Commissionr Troy Miller. “We look forward to Saunders’ leadership of this important body, where he has pledged to strike the balance between tradition and innovation, safety and facilitation, and national interests and global cooperation for the improvement of global customs practices. We have every confidence in his leadership of and commitment to our customs community.”
“While respecting the WCO’s rich past, there is a need to innovate and adapt to modern challenges," Saunders said. "I intend to lead the Organization by forging strong and enduring public-private partnerships, leveraging technology, promoting inclusivity for effective global Customs cooperation, and ensuring transparency and openness as fundamental principles of good governance.”
Outgoing Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya congratulated the winner and said that while challenges remain ahead for the WCO, he is confident that Saunders "will rise to the occasion and steer the Organization in the right direction for the next five years.”