. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/VAL/8/Add.19 
25 April 2008 
 (08-1963) 
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 technical assistance activities carried out by WCO Members reproduced from WCO document VT0617 of  6 March 2008.  The present document updates 
GATT document VAL/W/29/Rev.9, and WTO documen ts G/VAL/W/4 and G/VAL/8 and Adds.1-18. 
 
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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.19 
Page 2  
 
  ACTIVITIES OF WCO MEMBERS 
 
Technical Assistance/Capacity building Activities
 
 
Japan  
  Japan has dispatched its expe rts and has accepted trainees to give the knowledge of Customs 
Valuation / Post Clearance Audit and to suppor t the implementation of the WTO Valuation 
Agreement.  
 The details of our technical assistance/capacity building activities, which we have carried out 
since the last session and are planning to implemen t during the period up to 30 June 2008, are listed 
below: 
 
1. Dispatch of Experts
 
 
Recipient Country Course Period of dispatch Number of experts 
 
Malaysia Post-Clearance Audit 10-14 December 2007 1 
Cambodia Valuation & Post-
Clearance Audit 25-29 February 2008 2 
Philippines Valuation 26 February-5 March 2008 2 
Laos Valuation & Post-
Clearance Audit Not fixed yet 2 
 
2. Acceptance of Trainees  
 
Period of Training 
Course 
 Course Country of Trainees Total Number of 
Trainees 
5-17 November 2007 Valuation & Post-
Clearance Audit Laos 10 
12-23 February 2008 Post-Clearance Audit Pakistan 12 
 
 
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