Dubai Customs (DC) has recently signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (HMRC) regarding mutual administrative co-operation in application and enforcement of Customs law and transfer of capacity building. The move is part of Dubai Custom’s ongoing Reform and Modernization Program.
The MOUs were signed by Ahmed Butti Ahmed, Director General of Dubai Customs, and Roy Clark, Head of Criminal Investigations, HRMC, in the presence of senior officials from both parties, in a recent meeting at the Dubai Customs building. Speaking at the occasion of the signing, Ahmed Butti Ahmed stated that the agreements would form the central tenets of a broad-based co-operation in administration adhering to the principles of the Nairobi and Johannesburg agreements promulgated by World Customs Organization.
Ahmed Butti Ahmed added that the agreements will facilitate to DC and HRMC the exchange of the timely and pertinent information and aid in implementing legal tools to combat goods trafficking as well as control movement of fake products and other marked items. He stated that HRMC’s vast experience would prove beneficial to DC’s modernization aims, while DC’s expertise in trade and business shipping monitoring would in turn aid its British counterpart.
The first of the two MOUs deals with international co-operation to ensure effective implementation of procedures related to the restricted goods and Customs monitoring. Both DC and HRMC are strong proponents of international co-operation in issues related to the implementing of customs laws and regulations, particularly with regard to the World Customs Organization (WCO) agreement issued in June 02. The MOU takes into consideration the December 1953 and July 2000 Cyprus agreements as well as international agreements such as the UN Human Rights Declaration of 1948.
The second MOU between DC and HRMC reinforces the importance of mutual human capital, systems and skills development, and is expected to enhance DC’s functional capabilities in line with its modernization aims by time-tabling expertise exchange and training programmes.
Ahmed Butti Ahmed said that co-operation between the DC and HRMC has been prevalent for many years, and was initiated in the 1950s when HRMC provided financial and administrative guidance for DC’s re-engineering program, laying the foundation for steps that allowed DC to generate revenue and contribute to the country’s economy.
