Customs Obligations under International Law: Engagement With Stakeholders

The relationship between Customs and business has increasingly become topical over recent years. Customs has progressively come to regard its clients as business partners to collaborate with, and not as adversaries. This is a major shift in the way Customs conducts business and this has resulted in a better working relationship between the two sides. The modern approach of engagement between Customs and stakeholders conforms to international law and is considered as international best practice. This partnership is evident with the various Customs administrations across the globe. This article takes a survey of some of the key international agreements that bind Customs to relate with its stakeholders when conducting business. The article then acknowledges the effort taken by the World Customs Organization (WCO) to inspire its members to develop and maintain relationships with partners. The WCO theme for 2024 was ‘Customs Engaging Traditional and New Partners with Purpose’. The engagement between Customs and business creates a conducive operational environment that fosters improved flow of information, trust and enhanced compliance. Ultimately there would no losers as Customs, stakeholders, global trade and governments all stand to benefit.