JAMAICA ALSO JOINS THE KYOTO CONVENTION

On 7 May, the Jamaican Embassy in Brussels and the Mission to the European Union deposited with the World Customs Organization the Instrument of country for the Accession to the International Convention on the Simplification and Harmonization of Customs Procedures (revised Kyoto Convention).

The revised Kyoto Convention, in force on February 3, 2006, is the international standard for making the customs procedure the most efficient and effective. Among the most important forecasts, transparency and predictability of customs actions; standardization and simplification of the customs declaration and its supporting documents; simplified procedure for authorized entities; the maximum use of information technology; adequate customs control, which ensures compliance with the rules; an appropriate use of risk management processes and audit-based controls; partnership with economic operators. In relation to the current context of the COVID-19 pandemic, we recall how the Convention provides, in Annex J5, rules and best practices aimed at facilitating the movement of rescue shipments and equipment imported for humanitarian purposes. Jamaica is the 128th country to apply the Convention, which will enter into force on 7 August; The WCO Secretariat supported the Jamaican Customs Agency in its accession process, through a thorough review, in 2019, of Jamaica’s Customs Bill.