Objectives and tasks of Virtual Working Group (VWG) at SCCP APEC meeting in Vietnam

	Improvements in Customs Control and promotion of international interoperability through SCCP APEC
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	2017 APEC Finance and Central Bank Deputies’s Meeting

APEC and, in particular, the SCCP should be used as a tool to enhance collaboration between the public and private sectors in reaching our mutual goals. Photo: Hoang Anh.

Taking into account today’s ever-changing economic environment, the efficient execution of Customs measures ultimately promotes global trade and leads to increased economic prosperity. To ensure the efficient execution of secure international trade, robust collaboration between Customs administrations and the private sector is imperative. We must acknowledge that Customs and private sector stakeholders’ respective priorities will sometimes lead to different approaches. In this respect, we must collectively remain aware of our differences through engaging and educating one another on our respective needs and challenges.

Customs, and equivalent government agencies, and the private sector have an opportunity to improve trade through increased transparency in the global market. APEC and, in particular, the SCCP should be used as a tool to enhance collaboration between the public and private sectors in reaching our mutual goals. An active Customs-Business partnership model is an important step in developing and implementing effective policies that support our mutual goals of facilitating and securing legitimate international trade, while promoting economic prosperity.

Purpose & Objectives

The mandate of the Virtual Working Group (VWG) is to enhance public-private coordination within the SCCP to jointly develop and progress SCCP priorities, including through the APEC Supply Chain Connectivity Framework Action Plan. This Action Plan was a 2012 Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) level initiative that received APEC leadership endorsement. The core objective of the group is to enhance the SCCP’s capacity to secure and facilitate the legitimate movement of trade through:

• Enhanced cooperation between the public and private sector Customs stakeholders;
• Increased transparency;
• Greater understanding of the public and private sectors’ respective priorities, needs, and limitations; and
• Strategic identification of mutual priorities for cooperation.

The core task of the VWG is to work collaboratively to:

• Provide guidance to the SCCP on matters involving trade security and trade facilitation as integrated aspects and submit a report to SCCP members that will convey the recommendations.
• Propose issues and facilitate preparation for the annual APEC Customs Business Dialogue (ACBD) with the goal of moving toward a more active exchange of views between government officials and the private-sector.
• Follow progress of SCCP’s Customs-private sector partnership activities and provide updates to the VWG work program.

The VWG is comprised of government officials from member economies that are participants in the SCCP as well as nominated private sector representatives. To develop the membership foundation, SCCP members will nominate representatives of the private sector community to participate in the VWG. The number of private sector representative(s) of the respective economies may be limited as appropriate, by agreement among the SCCP members. The current list of private sector VWG participants can be found at Annex I of these Terms of Reference. The term of the private sector membership is two years, which will be reviewed and may be renewed after this term has been served.

The role of VWG in SCCP APEC 2017

Two co-chairs – one government official and member of the private sector will be charged with guiding the work of the VWG.

The Co-Chairs appointed by the VWG will:

• Convene periodically primarily through virtual mechanisms. As this group will be based primarily on virtual coordination, a meeting schedule agreed on by the VWG members will be developed on an annual basis in conjunction with the annual APEC meeting calendar. In addition, the group will meet “as needed” whenever there is agreement.
• Communicate regularly, via electronic mechanisms, as appropriate, to the members of the VWG, soliciting input/feedback, as appropriate.
• Maintain oversight over the VWG work plan, updating as appropriate, and the ACBD preparations.
• A designated Economy will serve as the Secretariat who will be responsible for capturing and reporting the results and outcomes of the group at official SCCP meetings and, as appropriate, to stakeholders including the World Customs Organization, while observing the APEC Guidelines on Managing Cooperation with Non-Members. This term will also be two years in length. At the conclusion of the two years the appointment will be reevaluated.

The work program and outcomes of the VWG work program will be shared with the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC). They will be endorsed by the SCCP where ABAC is deemed as one of the three categories of SCCP full participants as designated by Guidelines on Managing Cooperation with Non-Members and Guidelines for Hosting APEC meetings. These results will be officially shared by a VWG co-chair to the ABAC meetings as a representative of the SCCP. A designated Economy agreed upon by the VWG members will serve as the Secretariat for a two year period.

Priorities of SCCP APEC 2017 Work Program SCCP APEC 2017 is mentioning many specific priorities to promote cooperation and developing in member economies.

The terms of the VWG will be subject to review every two years, following the same cycle as the review of the SCCP Terms of Reference. The VWG should conduct the initial review of the working group terms, membership and management and submit to the SCCP for concurrence and endorsement.