WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/VAL/8/Add.7
2 November 2000
(00-4599)
Committee on Customs Valuation Original:  English
INFORMATION ON TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES
Addendum
At its meeting of 12 May 1995, the Committee on Customs Valuation agreed that greater
transparency of technical assistance activities, pursuant to Article  20.3 of the Agreement on
Implementation of Article VII of the GATT 1994, w ould be ensured if the information documents
prepared for the WCO Technical Committee on Customs Valuation on such activities were also made
available as WTO documents.
This document provides information on completed WCO technical assistance activities
reproduced from WCO document VT0085, 10 May 2000 and VT0120, 18 September 2000.  In addition,
an Annex provides the WCO tec hnical assistance programme for the year 2000/2001.  It updates GATT
document VAL/W/29/Rev.9, and WTO documen ts G/VAL/W/4 and G/VAL/8 and Add.1-6.
______________
I. INTRODUCTION
1. Article 20.3 of the Agreement provides for the establishment of technical assistance programmes
for developing countries.  The Article goes on to state that such technical assistance may include, inter
alia, the training of personnel, assistance in prep aring implementation measures, access to sources of
information regarding customs valuation methodology,  and advice on the application of the provisions
of the Agreement.  In this regard, it is recognized that for developing countries which are, by virtue of
being Parties to the Agreement, committed to appl y the Agreement at a fixed date or which are
considering applying it in the near future, it woul d be a matter of urgent need to have a nucleus of
customs officers trained in the Code.  Thus, among the various technical assistance programmes offered,
the training of personnel acquires a degree of priority.
2. As provided for in Annex II of the Agreemen t, the responsibilities of the Technical Committee
include the facilitation of technical assistance with a view to furthering the international acceptance of
the Agreement.  The Technical Committee at its fi rst meeting expressed the view that the Customs
Co-operation Council, through its Secretariat, could provide co-ordination in developing a technical
assistance programme in co-operation with member administrations willing to provide assistance and
other international organizations.  The Council's Plan for the '90s has also placed considerable emphasis
on the need for holding seminars a nd training courses on the GATT Code.
3. At its Eighth Session, the Technical Co mmittee had examined document 31.808 describing
seminars and training courses organized on cust oms valuation, especially on the GATT Valuation
Agreement, and the activities of the Customs Co-operation Council in this area.  The Committee found
the document useful and in this regard directed the Secretariat to periodically update the information. In
successive sessions of the Committee, a number of re vised or supplementary documents were prepared
which periodically updated this information.  This doc ument contains information provided by the WCO
Secretariat of its most recent technical assistance activities.G/VAL/8/Add.7
Page 2
Seminars
- The WCO Secretariat with the financial support of the Japan Customs and Tariff Bureau
conducted a joint national Valuation and Valuation Fraud seminar in La Havana, Cuba from 13 to 17December 1999.  Assisted by one officer from Japan, two officers from the Valuation and Compliance
Sub-Directorates conducted this program that was attended by 21 officers.  The objective of this
mission was to present the WTO Valuation Agreement and to discuss difficulties in ensuring
compliance with the Agreement.
- A seminar took place from 17 to 20 January 2000 in Algiers, Algeria, the main objective
being to raise participants' awareness of th e obligations stemming from the WTO Valuation
Agreement.  The seminar was organized by the WC O in conjunction with the General Directorate of
Algerian Customs, and focused both on the co ntent of the Agreement and on the fundamental
elements of valuation control.  During the four days, 47 officers attended the working sessions given
by an official of the Valuation Sub-Directorate.
- A national seminar on the implementation of the WTO Valuation Agreement was held for
more than 20 senior Chinese Customs officials in Beijing, China from 24 to 28 January 2000.  A
technical officer from the Valuation Sub-Directorate,  in company with representatives from the Indian
Customs Administration and the ICC, attended the se minar as guest speakers.  In-depth discussions on
implementation issues were also conducted.
- To follow on from the progress achieved in implementing the WTO Valuation Agreement,
the Valuation Sub-Directorate organized a train-th e-trainer course on valuation from 24 to 28 January
2000 in Casablanca, Morocco.  The course was given to 16 officials with an in-depth knowledge of
the Agreement.  The course will enhance the capabilities considered essential in training techniques.This course will enable training on Customs Valuation for all Moroccan Customs officers to take
place.
- The WCO Secretariat, in conjunction with the Direction General de Aduana, Nicaragua,
organized a national seminar on the WTO Valuation Agreement from 6 to 10 March 2000 at
Managua.  The objective of the seminar was to provide technical assistance focusing on the legal
provisions and planning for implementation of he WTO Valuation Agreement.  19 senior officials
selected from major regional customs officer participated in the seminar.
- The ensure uniformity of interpretation and application, a seminar on the Agreement was held
in Kigali, Rwanda, from 20 to 24 March 2000.  It was attended by 45 officials.  The opportunity was
taken to make participants aware of the obligations stemming from the Agreement's implementationand of suitable measure for ensuring harmonized implementation in accordance with the principles of
the GATT 1994.  The seminar was organised jointly by the Rwandan National Revenue Office and
the WCO, with partial funding from Customs Administration of Japan.
- A regional seminar was held in Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran from 12 to 16 June 2000 on
the implementation of the WTO Valuation Agreemen t.  The objective was to review the legal
provisions of the Agreement and discuss practical  aspects of implementation.  41 officials from 12
countries in the WCO's Asia and the Pacific region (Australia;  Hong Kong, China;  Indonesia;
Korea;  Malaysia;  Mongolia;  New Zealand;  Philippines;  Sri Lanka;  Thailand;  Vietnam;  I.R. Iran)
participated along with one officer from the WCO Valuation Sub-Directorate.
- A joint valuation/enforcement regional seminar was held in Brazzaville, Republic of the
Congo from 26to 30 June 2000.  The objective was to present the WTO Agreement with emphasis on
the measures to be taken for implementing it and the control methods appropriate for suchG/VAL/8/Add.7
Page 3
implementation.  31 officials from four Members of the Central African Economic and Monetary
Community (CEMAC) attended, 3 from Cameroon, 21 fr om the Congo, 2 from Equatorial Guinea, 3
from Gabon and 2 from the CEMAC Secretariat.  One officer from the WCO Valuation Sub-
Directorate and one attaché from the WCO Compliance Sub-Directorate also participated.
Training Courses
- A national training course on the WTO Valuation Agreement was held for 25 Customs
officers in Chittagong, Bangladesh from 9 to 13 April 2000.  A technical officer from the WCO
Valuation Sub-Directorate conducted the training course.
Workshops
- The Secretariat, in conjunction with the Ghana Customs, Excise and Preventive Service
(CEPS) organized a national workshop on the WTO Valuation Agreement from 13 to 17 December
1999 at Accra.  The objective of the workshop was to provide technical assistance focusing on the
legal provisions review and implementation strategies regarding the WTO Valuation Agreement.  41senior officials selected from major regional customs officer participated in the workshop.
- The WCO Secretariat, in conjunction with  the Uganda Customs and Excise Department
organised a national workshop on the WTO Valuation Agreement from 14 to 18 January 2000 at
Kampala.  The objective of the workshop was to provide technical assistance focusing on the legalprovisions review and implementation strategies of the WTO Valuation Agreement.  19 senior
officials selected from major regional customs offices and 1 legal assistant from the Tax Reform
Commission, Ministry of Justice participated in the workshop.
- The WCO Secretariat in collaboration with and sponsorship of the Japanese Customs
Administration and in conjunction with the Malaysia Royal Customs and Excise Department,
organized a national workshop on the WTO Valuation Agreement from 14 to 18 February 2000 at
Malacca.  Japan contributed two post clearance experts to this mission.  The objective of the
workshop was to provide technical assistance focusing on the legal provisions requirements of the
WTO Valuation Agreement.  30 senior officials selected from major regional customs officer
participated in the workshop.
- The WCO Secretariat, with the financial support of the Japan Customs and Tariff Bureau,
conducted a joint regional Valuation and Valuation Fraud workshop in La Paz, Bolivia from 21 to 25
February 2000.  The objective of the workshop was to provide technical assistance on the WTO
Valuation Agreement methods of valuation, contro l procedures and review the current status of
administrations attending in regard to valuation management.  The participants were middle to seniorvaluation and compliance managers.
- The WCO Secretariat with the financial support of the Japan Customs and Tariff Bureau
conducted a joint regional Valuation and Valuation Fraud workshop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from
6 to 10 March 2000.  The objective of the mission was to provide technical assistance on the WTOValuation Agreement and its practical application, control and supporting procedures and to discuss
best practice.  Valuation and compliance managers attended the workshop from the Asia and Pacific
Region.
- A joint national Valuation and Valuation Fraud workshop was conducted in Mombassa,
Kenya from 13 to 17 March 2000.  The workshop was funded by the Japan Customs and Tariff
Bureau.  The objective of the workshop was to deliver technical assistance on the methods of
valuation and supporting procedures and control  The participants represented various operational
areas within the Kenya Customs administration that deal with valuation.G/VAL/8/Add.7
Page 4
- A Valuation workshop was conducted in Suva, Fiji from 3 to 7 April, 2000. The workshop
was funded by the Japan Customs and Tariff Bureau and a Japan Customs representative assisted with
the workshop.  The objective of the workshop was to provide technical assistance on the WTO
Valuation Agreement and to assess the current valuation related needs of the Fiji CustomsAdministration.  To that end, a separate needs analysis was conducted on the first day.  The
participants at the workshop represented all operational and management areas dealing with valuation.
- The WCO Secretariat, in conjunction with the Malawi Revenue Authority conducted a
national workshop in Blantyre, Malawi from 10 to 14 April 2000.  The objective of the workshop was
to study the WTO Valuation Agreement and make recommendations in relation to current procedures.
The participants represented all operational and management areas involved with valuation issues.
- The WCO Secretariat in conjunction with the Zambia Revenue Authority conducted a
national workshop in Lusaka, Zambia from 17 to 21 April 2000.  The objective of the workshop was
to provide technical assistance on the WTO Valuation Agreement and to discuss with senior
manager's issues concerning the implementation of  the Agreement.  A half-day workshop was also
conducted with representatives from local trade.
- A valuation workshop on the WTO Agreement and associated procedures was conducted in
Male', Maldives from 23 to 27 April 2000.  The workshop was funded by the Japan Customs and
Tariff Bureau and two Japan Customs officers assisted with the workshop.  The workshop was
attended by 15 officers of various levels to senior manager representing several areas of Male'
Customs dealing with valuation.
- A national workshop on the application of the WTO Agreement was held in Callao, Peru
from 12 to 16 June 2000.  The objective was to further develop the understanding of PeruvianCustoms officers in the practical application of the WTO Agreement.  33 senior customs officials
selected from Customs Headquarters and major custom houses as well as one officer form the WCO
Valuation Sub-Directorate participated.  The workshop was funded by Japan.
- A national workshop to provide practical assistance on the application of the WTO
Agreement and policy development was held in Asuncion, Paraguay from 26 to 30 June 2000.  21
senior customs officials attended and one officer from the Valuation Sub-Directorate was thefacilitator.
Other technical assistance activities
- An on-site visit was conducted at the United Nations Conference Centre, Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia on 19 March 2000 to assess the facility for future WCO technical assistance delivery in
Africa.  This visit was organised by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa.G/VAL/8/Add.7
Page 5
Annex I
Technical Assistance Programme for the Year 2000/2001
TYPE CENTER PROPOSED DATE
Joint Valuation and
Enforcement Regional SeminarBurkina Faso,
Mauritania, Benin11-15 September 2000
" Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand 12-16 February 2001
" Argentina, Brazil 12-16 February 2001
Joint Valuation and
Enforcement SeminarThailand 11-15 December 2000
" Estonia 30 April-4 May 2001
" Chile 22-26 January 2001
" Pakistan 23-27 April 2001
National Seminar on the WTO
Valuation AgreementChina 18-22 June 2001
" Myanmar 5-9 March 2001
" Nepal 5-9 February 2001
" Vietnam 12-16 March 2001
" Venezuela 11-15 December 2000
" Indonesia 2-6 April 2001
" Sudan 19-23 February 2001
" Rwanda 12-16 February 2001
" Azerbaijan 5-9 February 2001
" Tanzania 18-22 September 2000
" Barbados 2-6 April 2001
" Jamaica 15-19 January 2001
" Ethiopia 25-29 September 2000
" Democratic Republic of Congo 18-22 June 2001
" Madagascar 2-6 October 2000
" Côte d'Ivoire 29 January - 2 February 2001
" Colombia 20-25 November 2000
" Bolivia 19-23 February 2001
" Mozambique 15-19 January 2001
" Fiji 11-15 June 2001
Regional Valuation Training
CourseKorea 9-15 November 2000
__________