Numbering 4

Title Cooperation and Coordinated Border Management

(CBM)
Purpose Reflect on cooperation between Customs and
other agencies and stakeholders, including CBM
concepts and regional integration

Task summary Answer the question in detail, providing necessary

background information.
Ensure your answer have a clear structure e.g. use
paragraphs and headings, and respect the word
limit. Please also refer to relevant
guidelines/conventions as supporting evidence in
your answer.
Select "Attempt quiz" to view and complete
the questions.

Individual contribution The assignment will be completed individually

E-moderator This assignment will be graded by a tutor

intervention:

Schedule and time Deadline 5 May 2023

Describe and evaluate how your Customs administration cooperates with

other agencies or stakeholders.
In your answer, discuss the agencies or stakeholders your Customs
administration cooperates with on a regular basis at a domestic and at an
international level. For example:

 National agencies or authorities

 Other national Customs administrations
 Private sector agencies or stakeholders

In your answer, you should outline the procedures which are performed in
cooperation with each agency, whether the partnership with the agency is
underpinned by a legal framework or international standard, and
the advantages and challenges of working with each agency.
(Max. 1500 words)

National agencies or authorities

Peru’s Customs Administration cooperates with other agencies and stakeholders in their daily
work and coordinating new strategies or procedures. During daily work, specifically in what I
have experience, customs clearance, we cooperate with several ministries’ authorities when the
good to import or export is restricted. If physical examination is required, we do the physical
examination together, so the importer have less logistics costs because we both authorities do
our physical examinations at the same time, we do this with transport and telecommunications
ministry authorities, health ministry authorities, agriculture ministry authorities, and so on. This
physical examination done in one opportunity is not underpinned by a legal framework, but as
we both must evaluate the same goods, for the benefit of the importer, trade facilitation and
good practices, we use to work together, it give us the advantage that we can assure the
authenticity of the control document presented by the importer, if there is required to do an
extraordinary control action with customs officers (I am a Customs Specialist) and the ministry
authority, it can be done right away. If an immobilization of goods is required or not declared
goods are found and have to be given to the authorities, we can do that during our physical
examination, saving time for us and the importer, also saving money from logistics and handling
costs to the importer. About the immobilization of restricted goods to be given to the ministry
authority is very important because of the nature of the goods, for example dynamite or guns, it
is very dangerous to take to our (Customs Administrations) warehouses, so the ministry
authority, they have the knowledge and the tools to take it to a secure place for it not to explode,
they also might have specially secure warehouses that’s why we give them those kind of goods,
we proceed the same way with fake medicines, not authorized fruits or other similar that
represent a danger for our citizens or their goods, if they are imported, those goods are given to
the ministry authorities so they destroy them. To give the restricted goods without entering
permission is regulated by a customs procedure. One challenge we have to face is that to
concur this unique physical examination might take time or there are times when we as
Customs Administration start the physical examination before the ministry authority come to the
warehouse because we have other physical examinations to do and can’t keep waiting for them,
so the physical examination is already started when the ministry authority comes, but we can
cooperate even when the physical examination has already began. Another ministry authority
we cooperate with is the one that protects intellectual property and brands; we alert them if
during documentary or physical examination is found a brand that doesn’t have the
authorization documents and legal permission to import those goods, this is also underpinned
by a customs administration specific procedure applied in border.

Another way Peru’s Customs Administration cooperates with ministries authorities is during
documentary examination, the Health ministry authority keep us informed of the factories that
are recognized of having a good manufacturing practice, also the foreign affairs ministry
coordinates with us if there’s a change in the documentation presented for origin certification
facilities. And with all the different ministry authorities, there’s a unique web page where we can
validate the authorized documentation issued by them. Also, in an informal way, we have direct
communication with the ministry authorities’ colleagues, to ask about new goods that are
entering the country, if it needed any authorization or to alert them about something suspicious,
we might find during physical or documentary examination. About the good manufacturing
practice, the documentation presented for origin certification facilities, and the unique web page
where we can validate the authorized documentation; those are underpinned by a legal
framework. Having this coordination with the ministry authorities give us a huge advantage
during clearance documentary examination, mostly because of the speed of information
exchange, thanks to information technology this real time verification is possible and this means
an advantage in our control duties.

Peru’s Customs Administration also cooperate with the police, more frequently when there is
found drugs, it is given to the police, so they can continue the investigation of the producers and
stop the commerce of this harmful product. Therefore, if a seizure is required, because of
smuggling, or transporting restricted goods without the authorization documents and because of
the value it is a crime (over 5,000 USD), we coordinate with the police to take the responsible to
be judge. To coordinate with the police for the intervention of smugglers when the value of the
goods is over 5,000 USD or when its about drugs or similar, it is underpinned by a customs law,
the Customs Offenses Law.

Other national Customs administrations

Here in Peru, as an international standard stablished in the Revised Kyoto Convention, there
are the Authorized Economic Operators facilitations. Here in Peru, if an international economic
operator accomplish the requirements of security, traceability, transparency, logistics and
accountancy information systems minimum standards required, they can get the AEO
certification, this requirements are not easy to complete, but the benefits value the effort, so for
us, the Peru Customs Administration is important to convert more international economic
operators to Authorized Economic Operators, because they represent less risk for us, and the
users algo gets facilitations, mostly a priority attention during clearance attention, rectifications,
requests and appeal attention. One of the benefits that benefits both parts the Customs
Administration and the AEO is the not revision of declared values during customs clearance, it
can be revised after the release of goods. Furthermore, if the importer is not a AEO, but the
international supplier is an AEO certified in their own country, they algo get the benefits because
they are authorized in their own country, what means accomplish their country security and
logistics standards to get that recognition, so we treat them as one of our AEO. We expect the
same treatment of our AEO when they export to another country that is part of the WCO. This
Authorized Economic Operators is an international standard adapted from the Revised Kyoto
Convention to our national’s legislation, by a specific procedure. The AEO certifications means
a great advantage for Customs Administration because it makes smoother the clearance
actions, and also means an advantage for the importer/exporter because they have less
logistics and handling costs and can take out their goods faster. It is also a challenge for the
Customs Administration to try to convince the importers/exporters to get the AEO certification,
because it may be easier for a big company to complete all the requirements to get the
certification, but in Peru, those big companies are the minority, the majority of international
operators are small, family companies, starters, that doesn’t have the sources to fulfill the
requirements of security, traceability, transparency, logistics and accountancy information
systems minimum standards required.

Private sector agencies or stakeholders

Peru Customs Administration also coordinate with other national customs administrations and
stakeholders. When I was working at the Tumbes Customs Administration, the one that is
located at the province of Tumbes, border with Ecuador, there was a challenge with the
exporters of fresh fish. The exporters couldn’t enter to Ecuador because of their national Health
controls. To get the sanitary authorization, it took 2 days to get it, this meant a lot of time
because the fresh fish couldn’t be sold fresh after two days. So, the intendency of Tumbes
started coordination with the Ecuador’s Customs Administrations executives, meeting also with
the Ecuador’s sanitary authorities and the fresh fish exporters to find a way to collaborate and
be more flexible, to find faster ways to promote facilitation of international commerce without
forgetting control, because we as Customs Administrations, is our duty to control the borders in
order to protect our citizens of any infection but also promote commerce that generates incomes
to our citizens. I am not working in Tumbes anymore, I was transferred to Callao’s Maritime
Customs Intendency, but I know they keep meeting in Tumbes to find the best way to
cooperate.