One of our most important discussions has to do with integrity in Customs operations. The nature of Customs work requires our employees to uphold the highest ethical and professional standards. We must build reliable safeguards against the threat of corruption. U.S. Customs has focused a great deal of attention on this area over the last two years. At the DG meetings, we have sought to share our experiences with our counterparts throughout the western hemisphere, and to raise the importance of the value of integrity training to Customs administrations everywhere.
Risk Management is another crucial front.
Through risk management, we devise methods to improve our aim that is, our selectivity in examining goods for intensive inspection. We must decide, in a much faster and more efficient way, which shipments merit our attention, and which we can let go, with minimal delay. The success of our risk management initiatives depends in large part on automation, another vital area of our discussions. A number of Customs administrations, including U.S. Customs, are constructing new automated systems that will revolutionize the way we process trade. One of the most important features of our new network, the Automated Commercial Environment, or ACE, is the advanced technology it will offer us to pinpoint areas of risk within our systems.