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Uganda | Kampala

IRU urges customs authorities to adopt more shared standards

16 Mar 2018

IRU called for greater use of more flexible, straightforward customs procedures to reduce the burden of transit costs on small and medium-sized (SME) operators. 

Speaking at the 4th Global World Customs Organization - Authorised Economic Operator Programme (AEO) Conference in Uganda, IRU supported the increased use of Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) to boost small and medium-sized transport and logistics operators. 

Mutual Recognition Agreements are international agreements by which two or more custom authorities recognise one another’s documents and procedures, facilitating global trade by increasing efficiency across the public and private sectors. 

Daniel Kern, IRU Senior Manager Goods Transport, said in his keynote remarks: “What really matters for the successful uptake of AEO programmes is functional Mutual Recognition Agreements along the whole supply chain enabling the industry to harvest the full benefits. The carrier industry is to a large extent driven by small and medium-sized companies, therefore every layer of business administration needs to pay out in the long run through increased competitiveness. In this respect MRAs play a key role.”   
  
During the two-day conference from March 14-16 in Kampala, more than 1000 senior customs administrators and business leaders took part in debates on the main theme of “Promoting Mutual Recognition of AEO to Strengthen and Secure Global Trade”.

IRU collaborates closely with the World Customs Organization as a key networking platform to build relationships with customs administrations globally and to promote the interests of the road transport industry.