WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/VAL/8/Add.25 
20 October 2011 
 (11-5209) 
Committee on Customs Valuation  
  
 
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 VT0818E 1a of 28 September 2011.  The present 
document updates GATT document VAL/W/29/Rev. 9, and WTO documents G/VAL/W/4 and 
G/VAL/8 and Adds.1-24. 
 
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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 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 Comm ittee 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 ses sions of the Committee, 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.25 
Page 2  
 
  ACTIVITIES OF WCO MEMBERS 
 
Technical Assistance/Capacity building Activities 
 
I. JAPAN  
1. Japan has dispatched its experts and has acc epted trainees to provide the knowledge of 
Customs Valuation/Post-clearance Audit and to support the implementation of the WTO Valuation 
Agreement. 
2. The details of our technical assistance/capacity building activities, which we have carried out 
since the last session and are planning to implement by 30 September 2011, are listed below. 
Dispatch of Experts 
 
Recipient Country Course Period of dispatch Number of Experts 
Burundi Valuation 24 Aug. - 2 Sep. 2011 2 
Fiji PCA 19 - 23 Sep. 2011 1 
 
Acceptance of Trainees 
 
Period of Training 
Course Course Country of Trainees Number of Trainees 
12 - 16 Sep. 2011 Valuation Vietnam 6 
29 Sep. - 5 Oct. 2011 PCA & Valuation Mongolia 5 
 
II. UNITED STATES 
 
Dispatch of Experts 
 
Recipient Country Course Period of dispatch Number of Experts 
Oman U.S - Oman Free Trade 
Agreement;  Advance 
Rulings Consultations; 
Valuation 19 - 22 Feb. 2011 2 
Thailand Valuation, Rules of 
Origin, and Audit 9 - 13 May. 2011 3 
Ukraine Classification and 
Valuation 20 - 24 June 2011 2  G/VAL/8/Add.25 
 Page 3 
 
 
  ACTIVITIES OF THE WCO SECRETARIAT 
 
I.  Recipient Members:  The Customs administrations of the East African Community: 
Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. 
 
Duration:  24-25 July 2011 
 
Location:  Bujumbura 
 
Subject:   Train - the - trainer, in the framework of the 4th JICA Programme Activity for the countries 
of the East African Community.  
 
Type:  Training and exchanges 
 
Objectives:  To provide training in response to the concer ns of this group of countries: training on 
Royalties and licence fees, Transfer pricing, sales for export and sales to sole agents, sole distributors 
and sole concessionaires. 
 
Participants:  20 
 
Facilitators:  One Technical Officer from the Tariff and Trade Affairs Directorate, Valuation Sub- 
Directorate. 
 
Donor:  JICA 
 
 
II.  Recipient Member:  Customs Administration of Ukraine 
 
Duration:  18 - 21 July 2011 
 
Location:  Kiev 
 
Subject:  Study of Ukraine's database as tool for valua tion control in the framework of the Revenue 
Package Action Plan in particular.  
 
Type:  Study visit and workshop 
 
Objectives:  To learn from the experience of Ukraine Cu stoms regarding the management of the 
valuation database as a risk management tool, a nd hold a training Workshop on valuation methods 
and control. 
 
Participants:  20 
 
Facilitators:  One Technical Officer from the Tariff and Trade Affairs Directorate, Valuation Sub-
Directorate, and one accredited trainer from Poland. 
 
Donor:  CCF – Japan 
 
 
III.  Recipient Members:  Customs administration OF Burkina Faso 
 
Duration:  27 to 30 June 2011 
 G/VAL/8/Add.25 
Page 4  
 
  Location:  Hotel Silmandé in Ouagadougou 
 
Subject:  In the framework of the Revenue Package, st udy the level of operation attained by the 
database used as a risk management tool.  
 
Type:  Study visit and training Workshop 
 
Objectives:  To learn from the experience of Burkina Faso  Customs regarding the management of the 
valuation database as a risk management tool, an d hold a 2-day training Workshop on valuation 
methods and control.  
 
Participants:  20 Customs officers from Burkina Faso. 
 
Facilitators:  One Technical Officer and one Technical Attaché from the TTA Directorate, Valuation 
Sub-Directorate.  
Donor:  CCF – Japan 
  IV.  Recipient Members:  Europe Region: Customs of Bela rus, Kazakhstan and the Russian 
Federation.  
 
Duration:  12 - 16 June 2011 
 
Location:  Minsk  
 
Subject:  Training and technical assistance:  Post-clearance audit and control 
 
Type:  Regional Workshop 
 
Objectives:  Training and technical assistance 
 
Participants:  20 
 
Facilitators:  Mr Henrick VAN DER WAL and Mr Alexander Stephen STOBIE 
 
Donor:  CCF – Japan 
  
V.  Recipient Members:  Customs Administration of Ecuador  
 
Duration:  14 - 16 May 2011 
 
Location:  Guayaquil  
 
Subject:  WCO Revenue Package mission 
 
Type:  Study visit and technical assistance 
 
Objectives:  In the framework of the Revenue Package,  to study the Customs Valuation Control 
Programme introduced by the Customs Administration of Ecuador, with particular focus on the operation of the valuation database as a risk management tool. 
  G/VAL/8/Add.25 
 Page 5 
 
 
  Participants:   
 
Facilitators:  One Technical Officer from the TTA Directorate, Valuation Sub-Directorate and the 
Chairperson of the Technical Committee on Customs Valuation. 
 
Donor:  WCO 
 
 
VI.  Recipient Members:  North of Africa, Near and Middle East Region  
 
Duration:  9 -13 May 2011 
 
Location:  Basil Fuleihan Institute (WCO Regiona l Training Centre), Beirut - Lebanon  
 
Subject:  Regional Training Seminar 
 
Type:  Regional Workshop 
 
Objectives:  To enhance the level of knowledge about Cu stoms valuation among Customs officials in 
the North of Africa, Near and Middle East Re gion/Intermediate and Advanced WCO Customs 
Valuation Course/Lessons and practical exercises.  
Participants:  20 
 
Facilitators:  Mr L. MACEDO from the Tariff and Trade Affairs Directorate, Valuation Sub-
Directorate, and Ms Hakima AZIZI from Moroccan Customs.  
Donor:  CCF – Japan 
  
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