The WCO IT Conference and Exhibition 2013 is set to host prominent leaders and decision makers from around the world, led by His Highness Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior.
WCO IT Conference and Exhibition 2013, organized by Dubai Customs, is being held for the first time in the Middle East. Themed ‘Effective Solutions for Coordinated Border Management’, the event will run from 14 - 16 May at the Atlantis – The Palm in Dubai.
The opening day will include a keynote speech by His Highness Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Official addresses will also be delivered by His Excellency Ahmed Butti Ahmed, Executive Chairman of Dubai Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation; Abdul Latif Bin Rashid Al Zayani, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC), and Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General of the World Customs Organization.
The opening session at the WCO IT Conference and Exhibition 2013 will be followed by a media briefing to review the key issues discussed and the events associated with the conference in the presence of representatives from the World Customs Organization (WCO), Dubai Customs and the main sponsors.
The panel discussions will feature global thought leaders including His Excellency Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs; Raymond Benjamin, Secretary General of the International Organization of Civil Aviation (ICAO); His Excellency Ahmed bin Ali Al Mohannadi General Director of Qatar's General Administration of Customs; John Scanlon, Secretary General of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES); Juma Al Ghaith, Executive Director of Customs Development at Dubai Customs, and Mohammed Al Haif, Director Customs Union Department, GCC General Secretariat.
His Excellency Ahmed Butti Ahmed said: "WCO IT Conference and Exhibition 2013 features the most prominent experts and speakers in customs as part of its unique role in offering a platform to learn from the novel experiences and best practices of organisations worldwide. In its pursuit to identify solutions to the challenges facing this crucial sector in areas such as international trade or border security, the event also takes up critical topics for discussion. Additionally, the forum offers invaluable networking opportunities to strengthen cooperation among World Customs Organization members.”
He added: "Ensuring continuous modernization and development of information technology in the customs, border security and ports sectors is a top priority in light of the continued growth of international trade, which requires fast and secure levels of processing by modern technology. The conference and accompanying exhibition will pave the way for better levels of cooperation and coordination between the concerned departments in various countries around the world."
The conference held for the first time in the Middle East will focus on sharing views and best practices between border security agents and other government entities such as customs, environment, municipalities, health and immigration. While the exhibition will provide first hand information from suppliers and users on trends, technologies and solutions to facilitate trade and to help maintain safer economies and societies.
WCO IT Conference and Exhibition 2013 is expected to witness the participation of more than 800 representatives of the World Customs Organization and customs departments of more than 100 countries, specializing in the fields of customs, security and information technology. The event aims to facilitate legitimate trade, border security, and customs’ coordination between countries, in addition to enhancing control and inspection systems, transport and logistics.