The World Customs Organization Asia/Pacific Joint Session of  the 21st Regional Heads of Customs Administrative Conference (RHCA) and the 30th Regional Contact Points (RCP) Meeting was held in Indonesia via video conference on 12 November 2020.

The conference and the meeting organized by Indonesia were divided in two sessions that the first session was RHCA and the second one was RCP. Regional Intelligence Liaison Office for Asia and the Pacific participated in the conference along with Customs delegates from the Asia Pacific Region, senior officials of the WCO and its Regional Bodies and the Regional Office for Capacity Building (ROCB).

The conference began with a welcome remark by Mr. Heru Pambudi, Director General of Customs and Excise of the Republic of Indonesia and also a chairperson of this year’s conference. He highlighted the need to develop close cooperation in the region to take measures in response to the COVID-19 and reach regional goals. Mr. Kunio Mikuriya, the Secretary-General of WCO, attended the conference and delivered the WCO policy and initiatives. He also emphasized the critical importance of an active role in WCO operations amid the pandemic.

During the first session, the head of RILO AP, Mr. Hyungmin BAEK,  presented the progress report of RILO AP's achievement containing the history, membership, and, mainly, activities of RILO, which made efforts on how to coordinate effectively joint enforcement operations about combating against illicit trade of drugs and hazardous waste, etc. During the conference, he introduced a new joint enforcement operation targeting illicit drugs on the global level as planned early next year. He asked for active participation and collaboration from Member Administrations.

From the second session, the Regional Contact Point (RCP) meeting was held, an annual meeting for the joint response to regional development and issues linked to the international trade procedures and cross border security.

The joint session was updated on the progress report, the result of the implementation of the 2018-2020 Plan and the new 2020-2022 Regional Strategic Plan. During the session, participants endorsed several decisions on important issues and shared opinions on how to response to combating COVID-19. Above all, participants agreed on strengthening Customs enforcement collaboration keenly needed in unprecedented circumstances.