2011 APEC Customs-Business Dialogue (ACBD)

San Francisco, California

September 17, 2011

Schedule:

08:30 – 09:00Assembly of participants

09:00 – 09:30Welcoming/Opening Remarks

09:30 – 11:30Panel #1: “Change”

11:30–13:00Working Lunch (lunch served first, followed by panel starting at 12:00)

13:00 – 14:30Panel #2: “Challenge”

14:30 – 14:45Coffee Break

14:45– 16:30Panel #3: “Opportunity”

16:30–17:00Closing

2011 ACBD Theme:

Considering the 10th anniversary of the events of September 11th, and the overall desire to enhance sustainable and efficient Customs-business partnerships within the Asia-Pacific region, the 2011 ACBD theme is “CHANGE, CHALLENGE & OPPORTUNITY”.

ACBD participants will reflect on the “change”in the role of Customs following September 11, 2001;identify the “challenges” posed by this shift; and identify future“opportunities” for establishing sustainable and efficient partnerships that will aid in meeting the need to secure and facilitate trade as a means to economic growth and prosperity.

Welcoming/Opening Remarks:

Brendan O'Hearn, Chair of the APEC Sub-Committee on Customs Procedures

Richard Vigna, Director of Field Operations, San Francisco, U.S. Customs and Border Protection

Panel #1:[*]

  • “Change: The Evolving Role of Customs in the 21st Century”
  • Panel Members:
  • Moderator: Mr. Kevin McAleenan, Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Office of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
  • Panelist: Mr. Robert C. Bonner, Former Commissioner, U.S. Customs/ Customs and Border Protection
  • Panelist: Mr. David Aguilar, DeputyCommissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
  • Discussion Topics:
  • Reflection on the events of September 11, 2001 and how the role of Customs, as a whole, was affected.
  • Discussion on the evolution of the role of Customs over the past 10 years and the significance ofthis evolution.

Working Lunch: “Customs and Business Working Together to Achieve a Common Goal”

  • Presenters:
  • Asia-Pacific Interactive Tariff Database – Jeff Bensing, Mercor Consulting
  • Interface Public-Members (IPM) – Allen Bruford, World Customs Organization
  • Description of Presentation: Showcase mechanisms by which Customs and business have successfully collaborated to meet a need.

Panel #2:*

  • “Challenge:Working Together to Achieve Economic Prosperity Through Security and Facilitation”
  • Panel Members:
  • Moderator: Mr. Allen Gina, Assistant Commissioner, Office of Trade, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
  • Panelist: Mr. Andrew Jackson, Import Compliance Office Australia, IBM CHQ
  • Panelist: Mr. Mike Mullen, Express Association of America
  • Panelist: Mr. Richard Willcock, National Director, Risk, Strategy and Coordination, Australian Customs administration
  • Panelist: Mr. Masaki Okamoto, Director for International Affairs, Customs and Tariff Bureau, Ministry of Finance, Japan
  • Discussion Topics:
  • How did the events of 9/11, and the resulting shift in Customs’ role, affect the relationship/dynamicbetween Customs administrations and the private sector from the perspective of:

-Private Sector: looking at the perspectives of panelists representing different parts of the supply chain (e.g. importer, broker, shipper)

-Customs: from both the individual Customs administration and multi-lateral perspectives

  • How did this shift influence the day-to-day operations from the perspective of both Customs and the private sector?

Panel #3:[*]

  • “Opportunity: Identifying the Next Generation of Customs-Business Partnerships”
  • Panel Members:
  • Moderator: Ms. Maria Luisa O’Connell, Senior Advisor, Office of Trade Relations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
  • Panelist: Mr. José Hugo German Martínez, Administrator for International Affairs, Mexican Customs General Administration
  • Panelist: Ms. Patricia Poh Pei Pei, Head Client Relations Branch, Singapore Customs,
  • Panelist: Mr. Matt Varner, Director of Trade Operations, NIKE
  • Panelist: Ms. Laurie Goldman, Head of Global Trade Policy, Levi Strauss
  • Discussion Topics:
  • Explore the various models by which APEC economies approach Customs-business partnerships.
  • Highlight opportunities to enhance Customs-business partnerships in an effort to meet the international Customs-business goals of securing and facilitating trade to meet goals of economic growth and prosperity:

-Nationally: Examples of steps economies can take, independently, to enhance their collaboration with the private sector, and

-Multi-laterally: Examples of mechanisms that can be used in the multilateral context toensure sustainable collaboration between the sectors.

Closing

[*] Structure of the discussion-based panels:

  • Each panel will be led by a moderator and not based on PowerPoint presentations.
  • Following a short introduction from each panelist (approx. 5 minutes), the panel will consist of a series of questions posed to the panelists by the moderator.

[*] Structure of the discussion-based panels:

  • Each panel will be led by a moderator and not based on PowerPoint presentations.
  • Following a short introduction from each panelist (approx. 5 minutes), the panel will consist of a series of questions posed to the panelists by the moderator.