Working Group on Customs and Humanitarian Relief
In the auspices of the HNPW 2019, the convened several meetings with the objective of establishing a collective plan with stakeholders involved in the importation of humanitarian aid. Experts from the network of technical partners were invited to contribute to a collective plan for an enhanced response. Please find below a summary of the sessions and the presentations delivered.

Time (GVA)MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursday
9:00 -10:30
11:00 - 12:30
14:00 - 15:30
16:00 - 17:30

Time (GVA)MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursday
9:00 -10:30
11:00 - 12:30
14:00 - 15:30
16:00 - 17:30
Session title
Expert Meeting, Monday 4th February
Session outcomes
  • Insights from existing international conventions and instruments relevant for importation of relief consignments in times of disaster were shared with the participants. The diverse range of stakeholders agreed that improvements can be made to these international conventions which can increase adoption of the standards relevant to relief consignments by Member States.
  • Opportunities for closer collaboration have been identified with ITU, specifically regarding the ratification and implementation of the Tampere convention which supports Member States requesting and receiving humanitarian assistance of telecommunications equipment.
  • WCO shared successes and lessons from the C-RED project. This included simulation exercises run in Guinea, Nigeria, and Mali which exampled to Customs the need to adjust processes in case of disaster. Induction courses were also developed to increase knowledge regarding the role of Customs for donors and humanitarian partners.
Next steps to implementing solutions
  • Working group to continue engagement with WCO and contribute to their comprehensive review process of the Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC) which runs until June 2021. This includes submitting recommendations to WCO for revision to Annex J5 (relief consignments) of the Revised Kyoto Convention. Suggestions here include: categorisation of emergencies and phases (emergency, initial recovery assistance etc.); categorisation of relief items, facilitations and simplifications; advance electronic information; reduced datasets with indicative list of data elements and procedure to be applied for each category.
  • Working group to identify high risk / priority Member States, understand their current end-to-end preparedness levels including ratification of RKC and Tampere conventions, and support these Member States with drafting SOP’s for importation of emergency relief consignments.
  • Plan to be established for further simulation exercises in 2019 on cross-border management with the humanitarian community, government entities and Customs.
Session title
Annual Meeting of the IMPACCT Working Group, Thursday 7th February
Session outcomes
  • The working group shared challenges related to obtaining required authorisations prior to customs clearance including categorisation of relief items, licensing and the use of HS codes to facilitate border proceedings.
  • Successes and learnings from ongoing initiatives to reduce bottlenecks in the importation of humanitarian goods were shared including: the CICQ Bulletin containing essential customs rules and information in emergencies; the C-RED project utilising endorsed SOPs as basis for training and simulation exercises, the ASYREC tool for facilitation of export, transit and import of relief consignments, the IHC Logistics Databank with dashboards showing humanitarian goods in key hubs; as well as the regional North American Humanitarian Response Initiative Red Cross initiative.
Next steps to implementing solutions
  • A working group of volunteers from this session will convene to agree a standardised set of priority relief shipment HS codes list to be submitted to WCO which will aim to provide all Customs organisations a standard procedure to follow.
  • Implementation plan for ASYREC tool for relief consignments to be agreed and executed upon.
  • All activities identified for IMPACCT working group will be prioritised and an action plan for 2019 put in place. These include strengthened collaboration with all actors involved; improved information sharing; understanding the role of private sector can play in helping reduce lengthy customs processes; establishing an e-learning platform; as well as regional co-ordination efforts in Africa and South America.
Summary
When affected by disaster, governments face a dual challenge: protection their borders from illegal traffic and smuggling activities while ensuring the speedy and efficient importation of emergency relief goods to effectively coordinate the response. Clear procedures, protocols and efficient national customs administrations are requested.
To achieve these objectives, the brings together a network of technical partners, including the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the World Customs Organization (WCO) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to develop a collective approach and tools in support of national coordination mechanisms.
Through the IMPACCT Working Group, this network advocates for, and promotes the implementation of internationally recommended customs facilitation measures for humanitarian readiness and response. This network of partners in turn leverages their own operational networks for better coordination and knowledge-sharing.
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