WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/VAL/8/Add.14 
31 March 2005  
 
(05-1296) 
Committee on Customs Valuation  
  
INFORMATION ON TECHNICAL  ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES 
 
Addendum
 
   At its meeting of 12 May 1995, the Committe e on Customs Valuation agreed that greater 
transparency of technical assist ance 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 co mpleted WCO technical assistance activities 
reproduced from WCO document VT0397, of 14 September 2004.  It also includes information on 
technical assistance activities carried out by WCO Members reproduced from WCO document VT0411, of 14 September 2004. The present doc ument updates GATT document VAL/W/29/Rev.9, 
and WTO documents G/VAL/W/4 and G/VAL/8 and Adds.1-13.  
______________ 
 
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 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 Agre ement, 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 Committee 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 Committee had examined document 31.808 describing 
seminars and training courses organized on customs 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 dire cted 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.14 
Page 2  ACTIVITIES OF THE WCO SECRETARIAT   
Recipient Members :  Albania; Bulgaria; Hungary; Lithuania; Moldova; Poland; 
Serbia and Montenegro; Ukraine  
 
Duration :  26 to 30 April 2004 
Location :  Budapest  (Regional Training Centre of the WCO) 
Subject :  Application of the WTO Valuation Agreement 
Type :  Regional Seminar  
Objectives :  To provide a valuation technical assistance programme for Member Administrations in the 
Central and Eastern Europe.  The programme fo cused on methods of valuation and procedural 
requirements together with various mechanisms for valuation control.  
Participants :  19 
Facilitators :  One Technical Attaché from the Valuation Sub-Directorate  
 
 
Recipient Members :  Russia; Belarus; Kazakhstan; Kirghizistan;  Tajikistan; Turkmenistan and Armenia  
 
Duration :  27 - 29 April 2004 
Location :  Moscow  
Subject :  Implementation of the WTO Valuation Agreement  
Type :  Regional seminar 
Objectives :  Presentation and examination of the WTO Valuati on Agreement in order to provide specialist 
knowledge on the WTO Valuation Ag reement and its implementation 
Participants :  35 
Facilitator : One Technical Officer from the Valuation Sub-Directorate 
Donor : Mission funded by the WCO 
 
 
Recipient Members :  Azerbaijan; Belarus; Kazakhstan; Moldova;  Tajikistan; Uzbekistan and Russian 
Federation  
 
Duration :  17 - 20 May 2004 
Location :  Moscow  
Subject :  Customs services' preparations for th e World Trade Organisation Agreements  
Type :  Regional seminar 
Objectives :  To provide general idea of the WTO’s Ag reements which are link with customs 
administrations work and to explain the im plications of the implementation of these 
Agreements on customs services.  The seminar also aims to increase participants' awareness of 
the measures that should be taken for an effi cient application purposes (the WTO valuation 
agreement in particular). 
Participants :  25 
Facilitator : Deputy Director from the Valuation Sub-Directorate 
 
 
Recipient Members :  Bangladesh; Cambodia; China; Indonesia;  Iran; Malaysia; Maldives; Mongolia;  
Myanmar; Pakistan; Philippines; Sri Lanka; Thailand; Vietnam  
 
Duration :  24 to 28 May 2004 
Location :  Jakarta  
Subject :  Application and maintenance of  the WTO Valuation Agreement 
Type :  Regional Workshop  
Objectives :  To provide a forum for the exchange of info rmation on valuation mana gements practices and 
to review case studies from participating Administrations to effectively establish correct and 
uniform valuation treatment of import transactio ns.  To also provide advice and guidance on 
implementing and working with the WTO Valuati on Agreement, underlin ing valuation control 
mechanisms for ensuring compliance.  
Participants :  24 
Facilitators :  One Technical Attaché from the Valuation Sub-Directorate; 
Three representatives from the Ja panese Customs Administration  
Donor : Japan 
 
  
  G/VAL/8/Add.14 
 Page 3 
 
Recipient Members :  Azerbaijan; Moldova  
Duration :  7 – 11 June 2004 
Location :  Baku  
Subject :  Implementation of the WTO Customs Valuation Agreement  
Type :  Sub-Regional seminar 
Objectives :  To further the knowledge on the Agreement and to provide a forum for exchange of 
experiences regarding practical  implementation.  The seminar also aims at enhancing 
participants’ understanding of valuation control issues, including valua tion risk management, 
post clearance audit, and the need for supporting systems and procedures relevant to valuation 
management  
Participants :  19 
Facilitator : One Senior Technical Officer from the Valuation Sub-Directorate 
 
Recipient Member :  Malaysia  
Duration :  20 - 24 September 2004 
Location :  Kuala Lumpur  
Subject :  Application and maintenance of th e WTO Customs Valuation Agreement  
Type :  National Workshop 
Objectives :  To conduct an operational review of valuation management and discu ss practical valuation 
issues and valuation control issues, in partic ular, post clearance audit and valuation risk 
management,  
Participants :  38 
Facilitator : One Senior Technical Officer from the Valuation Sub-Directorate and one valuation expert 
and one investigation expert from Japan 
Donor : Japan 
 
ACTIVITIES OF WCO MEMBERS 
 CANADA
 
 
1.  "Canada would like to inform the Secretariat and the Committee of the following technical 
assistance particulars: 
 
- The valuation technical assistance which was pr ovided to Nicaragua has now been completed. 
- A technical mission on the WTO Valuation Agreemen t was provided to the Republic of Benin this 
past June.  A fourth and final mission is scheduled to take place later this year or early in the new 
year. 
-  Canada and the Caribbean Community (C ARICOM) hosted a 5-day workshop on the WTO 
Valuation Agreement this Septem ber in Antigua and Barbuda." 
 
FRANCE  
 
 "France would like to inform that the following technical assistance activities were 
undertaken:  - WTO Seminar on the valuation control (Burkina Faso, December 2003) 
- Training  on the valuation control (Tunisia, December 2003) 
- Acceptance of one trainee from Senegal at Post-cle arance Valuation Control Service as part of the 
WCO/USAID programme (France, March 2004)" 
 
JAPAN  
 
  "Japan has dispatched our experts and has a ccepted trainees to give the knowledge of Customs 
Valuation/Post Clearance Audit and to support the im plementation of the WTO Valuation Agreement.  
The details of our technical assistance/capacity build ing activities, which we have carried out since the 
last session and have planned during the pe riod up to 30 June 2004, are listed below". 
  
 G/VAL/8/Add.14 
Page 4  
Dispatch of Experts
 
 
Country dispatched Period of dispatch Number of Experts 
Papua New Guinea 5 - 9  A p r i l    2004 2 
Peru 12 － 16 April    2004 2 
China  17 － 21 May    2004 2 
24 － 28 May    2004 
Indonesia      27 Jul － 5  August   2004 5 
Philippines 14 － 18 April   2004 2 
Russian Federation Not fixed yet 1 
Malaysia Not fixed yet 4 
Chile Not fixed yet 2 
Nigeria Not fixed yet 2 
Bhutan Not fixed yet 2 
 
Acceptance of Trainees  
  
Period  
of Training Course Country of Trainee Total Number of 
Trainee 
26 May －18 Jun,2004 Malaysia, Thai,   
Not fixed yet 12 
10 －20 Nov,2004 Laos 6 
 
 
UNITED KINGDOM  
 
 "The United Kingdom Customs Administration deliv ered Technical Assistance in Zambia for 
the Zambian Revenue Authorities in May and June 2004.  The training consisted of: 
 - One-week Train the Trainers Course on Customs Valuation; 
- One-week basic Valuation Course; 
- A half-day Valuation Awareness Seminar for Managers." 
 
 UNITED STATES
 
 
Bilateral Based Initiatives 
 
  
  Training and/or Assessment 
Requested Requesting 
Organization Dates for 
Program Delivery Target Audience 
Americas & Caribbean  
Haiti Commercial and enforcement 
Assessments (valuation 
element included) U.S. Agency for 
International 
Development 
(USAID)   8/21/04 –8/30/04 
 Senior Customs 
officials 
  G/VAL/8/Add.14 
 Page 5 
 
Europe  
Ukraine Valuation Assistance (Course 
on Infrastructure 
Development)  
 
 
Post-Importation  
     Audit 
 Department of 
Commerce  
(Commercial Law 
Development 
Program) Completed  
3/1/04 –  
3/5/04 
 
 
10/18/04 – 
10/22/04   Senior and mid level 
managers for Ukraine 
Customs; 
20 participants  
 
Senior and mid level 
managers for Ukraine 
Customs; 
20 participants 
Norway Post-Importation Audit   10/4/04 –10/8/04  Management and 
director levels  
 
Multilateral Based Initiatives 
 
 Training and/or Assessment 
Requested Requesting 
Organization Dates for 
Program Delivery Target Audience 
Americas & Caribbean  
Andean  
 
Bolivia 
Columbia 
Ecuador Peru 
Venezuela  Valuation Assistance (Post-
Importation   Audit)  
 
 
 
Train-the-Trainer  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Country Assessment 
Lima, Peru 
 
 
 
 
 
Country Assessment 
Guayaguil, Ecuador 
 
 
Country Assessment 
Bogota, Colombia 
 
 
Country Assessment 
La Paz, Bolivia 
 
 
Country Assessment 
Caracas, Venezuela 
  
  
 
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
    
 
 
 
Andean 
Community/ 
United States 
Agency for 
International 
Development Completed 
3/22/04 –3/26/04  
 
 
 
Completed 
5/31/04 – 6/4/04   
         
 
     
 
 
Completed 
8/16/04 –8/20/04 
 
 
 
 
10/1/04 –0/4/04 
 
 
10/18/04 –  
10/22/04 
 
 
10/25/04 –
10/29/04 
 
 
11/1/04 – 11/5/04 
 Senior and mid level 
managers, regional participation;  
20 participants; 
La Paz, Bolivia 
 
Customs trainers and 
valuation experts, 
regional participation;  
25 participants; 
Cartegena, Colombia 
 
Senior level valuation 
managers 
 
  
 
 
Senior level valuation 
managers 
 
 
Senior level valuation 
managers 
 
 
Senior level valuation 
managers 
 
 
Senior level valuation 
managers 
 
 
 
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