30 October - 3 November 2023, Melbourne, Australia

The 33rd Asia Pacific Regional Contact Points Meeting was held in Melbourne, Australia, from 30 October to 3 November 2023, hosted by the Asia Pacific Vice Chair. Mr. Norikazu KURAMOTO, Head of the ROCB A/P, along with Program Managers, Ms. Zhengqing YE, Mr. Jun Tajima, Mr. Jamin CHO, and Mr. Louis CHAN, actively participated in the meeting.

Mr. KURAMOTO provided a comprehensive overview of the ROCB A/P's initiatives, emphasizing its active role in delivering workshops planned for the fiscal year and its collaborative efforts with regional entities in the Asia Pacific region. He also presented the Focus Area 3 for the Regional Strategic Plan for 2022-2024, offering updates on Capacity Building on behalf of Japan and ROCB A/P. Furthermore, Mr. KURAMOTO expressed his gratitude toward member administrations, including Cambodia, for their commitment to enhancing the region's training capabilities by establishing regional training centers. During the session, members endorsed a proposal from Cambodia to establish a Regional Training Centre at Cambodia’s Customs National School. Mr. Jun Tajima, Program Manager of the ROCB A/P, also seized the opportunity to deliver a comprehensive presentation on the Training Management Project for the Asia/Pacific and discussed ways to support the Project.

The session, among others, also featured presentations themed “nurturing the next generation,” delivered by members, and presentations themed “gender diversity and equality,” also delivered by members, which were followed by lively discussions on the topics.

The RCP meeting included Asia Pacific members as well as representatives from the WCO Secretariat, RILO AP, and ROCB A/P. Participants received updates on WCO policy and initiatives, listened to a keynote address from the RCP Chair and the WCO Regional Development Manager, and were briefed on the Concept Note on Strengthening Customs-Industry Resilience, emphasizing the meeting's focus on collaborative progression and innovation.

For more information, please contact at rocb@rocbap.org