Pakistan Elected to WCO Policy Commission for the First Time in Nearly 70 Years
Chitral Times Report
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has secured a historic victory at the World Customs Organization (WCO) by successfully winning election and securing nomination to the WCO Policy Commission for the term 2026–2028 during the Regional Heads of Customs Administrations (RHCA) Meeting of the Asia Pacific region held in Hong Kong from 18–20 May 2026. The nomination will formally be placed before the WCO Council Session in June 2026 for approval by acclamation in accordance with established WCO procedures.
This marks Pakistan Customs’ first ever representation on the WCO Policy Commission in nearly 70 years of WCO membership since 1955 and represents one of the most significant international institutional achievements of Pakistan Customs in recent decades. The WCO Policy Commission is the principal strategic policy steering forum of the WCO and plays a central role in shaping international customs policies relating to customs modernization, trade facilitation, digital transformation, enforcement cooperation, and governance reforms.
Pakistan secured nomination after a highly competitive election in which six candidates contested for five available seats from the Asia Pacific region. Pakistan’s candidature was based upon its long absence from major WCO governance structures despite being one of the oldest WCO Members, together with Pakistan Customs’ modernization achievements, particularly Pakistan Single Window (PSW), digital customs reforms, and regional connectivity initiatives.
The successful outcome was the culmination of nearly two years of sustained strategic outreach, diplomatic engagement, and regional coordination led by Mr. Syed Asad Raza Rizvi, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the WCO, through continuous consultations and close engagement with Member Administrations and WCO delegations across the Asia Pacific region. Following the establishment of Pakistan Customs’ permanent mission to the WCO at the Embassy of Pakistan in Brussels in September 2023, Pakistan significantly strengthened its diplomatic presence and institutional engagement within the WCO framework and across the Asia Pacific region. These efforts played a central role in positioning Pakistan as a credible candidate for the Policy Commission seat and were widely appreciated within FBR and Pakistan Customs as a major diplomatic and institutional success for Pakistan at the international level.
During the RHCA Conference, Pakistan Single Window (PSW) emerged as one of the key highlights of Pakistan’s engagement at the regional level. Representatives of PSW, Mr. Naveed Abbas Memon and Mr. Salman Chaudhry, were specially invited to deliver a presentation on Pakistan’s Single Window model, digital integration architecture, and modernization framework, which received significant appreciation from participating Member Administrations. The presentation effectively showcased Pakistan’s progress in customs digitalization, trade facilitation, and cross-border data integration, while further strengthening Pakistan’s profile in regional customs modernization initiatives.
On the sidelines of the RHCA Meeting, the same representatives also signed a ValidAP Agreement/MoU with Hong Kong Customs aimed at strengthening regional cooperation, interoperability, and integration in digital trade facilitation and customs data exchange frameworks across the Asia Pacific region. They also remained actively engaged during the final stages of consultations, campaign coordination, and regional engagements throughout the conference.
These efforts were undertaken through close coordination between Pakistan Customs’ Permanent Mission to the WCO in Brussels, the International Customs (IC) Wing of FBR represented by Mr. Irfan Javed and his team, and the Pakistan delegation at the RHCA Meeting, all of which contributed to the successful outcome.
FBR and Pakistan Customs highly appreciated the sustained efforts and strategic engagement undertaken by Mr. Syed Asad Raza Rizvi, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the WCO, together with the valuable contributions made by the Pakistan delegation during the RHCA Meeting, particularly Mr. Naveed Abbas Memon and Mr. Salman Chaudhry, as well as the close coordination and institutional support provided by Mr. Irfan Javed and his team from the International Customs (IC) Wing, all of which contributed significantly towards the successful outcome.
Pakistan’s election significantly enhances Pakistan Customs’ international standing and strengthens Pakistan’s voice within the global customs governance structure while creating important opportunities for technical cooperation and future international customs policy engagement.”translate the same in urdu from right to left.
