WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/VAL/8/Add.18 
5 October 2007 
 (07-4246) 
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 documents VT0572, of 10 September 2007.  It also includes information on technical assistance activities carried out by  WCO Members reproduced from WCO documents 
VT0595 of 3 October 2007.  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.1-17. 
 
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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.18 
Page 2  
 
  ACTIVITIES OF THE WCO SECRETARIAT 
 
Technical Assistance / Capacity Building Program
 
 
Recipient Members:  China  
 
Duration:  4th to 8th June 2007 
Location:  Shanghai Subject:  Administration of the WTO Valuation Agreement Type:   Regional Seminar 
Objectives: To deepen the understanding of th e participants about the complexities of 
Customs valuation and related topics. The programme focused on methods of 
valuation and procedural requirements t ogether with various mechanisms for 
valuation control. 
Participants: 30 
Facilitators: One Technical Attaché from the Valuation Sub-Directorate of the WCO  
   G/VAL/8/Add.18 
 Page 3 
 
 
  ACTIVITIES OF WCO MEMBERS 
 
Technical Assistance/Capacity building Activities  
 
Japan  
 1. Dispatch of Experts
 
 
Recipient Country Course Period of dispatch Number of experts 
 
Thailand Post-Clearance Audit 21-25 May 2007 3 
Philippines Valuation 21 May – 1 June 2007 2 
China Valuation & Post-
Clearance Audit 4-8 June 2007 1 
Cambodia Valuation & Post-
Clearance Audit 27-31 August 2007 3 
Pakistan Post-Clearance Audit 10-14 September 2007 1 
Philippines Valuation 17-28 September 2007 2 
Laos Valuation & Post-
Clearance Audit 8-12 October 2007 3 
 
2. Acceptance of Trainees  
 
Period of Training 
Course 
 Course Country of Trainees Total Number of 
Trainees 
1-17 October 2007 Valuation & Post-
Clearance Audit Cambodia 10 
5-17 November 2007 Valuation & Post-
Clearance Audit Laos 10 
 
 
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