WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/VAL/8/Add.16 
10 April 2006 
 (06-1664) 
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 Custom s 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 VT0474, of 6 March 2006.  It also includes information on technical assistance activities carried out by WCO Members reproduced from WCO document VT0487, of 6 March 2006. The present documen t updates GATT document VAL/W/29/Rev.9, and 
WTO documents G/VAL/W/4 and G/VAL/8 and Adds.1-15.  
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INTRODUCTION 
1. Article 20.3 of the Agreement provides fo r 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 preparing implementation measures, access 
to sources of information regarding customs valua tion 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 apply the Agreement at a fixed date or 
which are considering applying it in the near future , it would 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 Agreement, the responsibilities of the Technical Committee include the facilitation of technical assistan ce with a view to furthering the international 
acceptance of the Agreement.  The Technical Committ ee at its first meeting expressed the view that 
the Customs Co-operation Council, through its Secretar iat, 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 and 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 custom s 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 dir ected the Secretariat to periodically update the 
information. In successive sessions of the Comm ittee, a number of revised or supplementary 
documents were prepared which periodically update d this information.  This document contains 
information provided by the WCO Secretariat of  its most recent technical assistance activities. G/VAL/8/Add.16 
Page 2  
 
  ACTIVITIES OF THE WCO SECRETARIAT 
 
Technical Assistance / Capacity Building Program
 
 
Recipient Members:  Bangladesh  
 
Duration:  20th to 24th March 2006 
Location:  Dhaka Subject:  Application of the WTO Valuation Agreement and Post Clearance Audit Type:   National Workshop 
Objectives: To conduct an operational review  of valuation management and discuss 
practical valuation issues and valuati on control issues, in particular, post 
clearance audit 
Participants: 25 Facilitators: One Senior Technical Officer from the Valuation Sub-Directorate of the 
WCO and one expert from Japanese Customs Administration 
Donor:  Japan  Recipient Members:  Pakistan
 
 Duration:  27 February to 3
rd March 2006 
Location:  Karachi 
Subject:  Application of WTO the Valuation Agreement and Post Clearance Audit Type:   National Workshop Objectives: To provide a technical assistance program for officers in charge of valuation 
and post clearance audit.  The program focused on specific valuation issues 
and customs control measures 
Participants: 22 Facilitators: One Technical Attaché from the Valuation Sub-Directorate of the WCO and 
one representative from Japanese Customs Administration 
Donor:  Japan   G/VAL/8/Add.16 
 Page 3 
 
 
  ACTIVITIES OF WCO MEMBERS 
 
Technical Assistance/Capacity building Activities  
 
Japan  
 1. Dispatch of Experts
 
 
Country dispatched Course Period of dispatch Number of experts 
 
Philippines Valuation 28 Sept. – 7 Oct. 2005 2 
Vietnam Valuation 6-14 Oct. 2005 2 
Philippines Valuation 5-15 Dec. 2005 2 
Vietnam Post-clearance Audit 15-23 Dec. 2005 2 
Indonesia Post-clearance Audit 13-24 Feb. 2006 2 
Pakistan Valuation & 
Post-clearance Audit 27 Feb – 3 March 2006 1 
Vietnam Post-clearance Audit 9-17 March 2006 2 
Vietnam Valuation 6-14 April 2006 2 
Vietnam Valuation 1-9 June 2006 2 
Laos Valuation Not fixed yet  
Laos Post-clearance Audit Not fixed yet  
 
2. Acceptance of Trainees  
 
Period of Training 
Course 
 Course Country of Trainee Total Number of 
Trainee 
8 Sept.- 5 Oct. 2005 Post-clearance 
Audit Afghanistan, Angola, 
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Kenya, 
Kiribati, Micronesia, Mongolia, 
Nepal, Pakistan, Samoa, Solomon, South Africa, Vanuatu 14 
29 Jan. – 7 Feb. 2006 Valuation Thailand 14 
12-25 March 2006 Valuation Philippines 15 
 
United States  
 
 The following programs have been complete d in FY 2005 or have been scheduled for 
delivery during FY 2006:  
FY2005 
Bilateral Based Programming  
• Norway
: Post Importation Audit Training ( completed 4-8 October 2004)  
• Ukraine : Post Importation Audit Training ( completed 18-22 October 2004)  
• Thailand : IPR training assessment ( completed 28 Nov. – 10 Dec. 2004 ) 
• Morocco : FTA training and assistance planned during FY 2005-2006; Rules of Origin 
  Training ( completed 16-20 May 2005 ) 
• Bahrain : FTA training and assistance planned during FY 2005-2006; Textiles Training 
(completed 11-16 Dec. 2004 ); Post Importation Audit Training-New York 
(completed 20-24 June 2005 ) G/VAL/8/Add.16 
Page 4  
 
  • Haiti
: Customs Reform Initiative under negotiation with USAID.  Assistance would 
begin in FY 2006 and would include commercial and border security training, advisory programs and equipment purchases. 
• Mexico
: IPR training ( completed 22-26 August 2005 ) 
 
Multilateral Based Programming  
• Andean Community : WTO Valuation Training and Short-term Advisory Assistance: 
October 2004 – February 2006. 
  Country Assessments in Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, and Venezuela (completed 
October – November 2004 ) 
• CAFTA : Customs Capacity Building Assistance for CAFTA countries; Rules of Origin 
Training ( completed 26-30 Sept. 2005 ) 
 FY2006 Bilateral Based Programming  
• Thailand
: IPR Training ( completed 31 Oct. – 5 Nov. 2005 ) – Study Tour to CBP Port 
(completed 6-10 Feb. 2006 ); Rules of Origin Training in Bangkok tentatively 
planned for March 2006 
• Morocco : Post Importation audit Training in New York planned for FY 2006; Rules of 
Origin/Valuation Assessment planned fo r FY 2006; and Short-term Advisory 
Program planned for FY 2006 
• Oman : Assessment, Date TBD 
• Bahrain : TBD, Date TBD 
 
Multilateral Based Programming  
• Andean Community : Post Audit Study – Tour Program ( completed 14-17 Nov. 2005 ) in 
Miami; Short Term Advisory Programs conducted 6-17 Feb 2006.  Provide d on-site technical 
assistance to the Customs administration of Pe ru, Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia from 6-17 
February 2006, during the final phase of the A ndean Valuation Program Short-Term Advisory 
Program.  The assistance consisted of a review of the importing and valuation procedures of 
the host countries and the offering of sugg estions on how to best implement the WTO 
Valuation Agreement. 
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