Trends and Challenges in Customs:
- Unnecessary and burdensome barriers to trade can cost companies and national economies billions of dollars.
- Global convergence and modernization of customs practices are necessary for efficient supply chains.
- Trade facilitation and robust implementation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) are critical to members of the trade. The TFA promises to streamline customs processes and procedures, provide increased transparency, predictability, and speed the movement of goods across borders around the world.
Current Priorities
- Customs and Trade Facilitation in the COVID-19 crisis environment including, but not limited to border closures, overall trade facilitation, and movement of vital goods (e.g., critical medical supplies and equipment, and other essential goods like chemicals, foods, fuel, and more) and essential workers.
- Click here to visit our dedicated page on COVID-19 for messages from our CEO, press releases, member-driven initiatives, and more.
- E-Commerce in the Customs space (e.g., WCO Cross-Border E-Commerce Framework of Standards)
- Forced labor Guidance and direction
- Classification, valuation, origin, focus on WCO and WTO, where applicable
- CTPAT, Trusted Trader, Minimum Security Criteria (MSC), Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) WCO Safe Framework
USCIB’s Response:
- Provide thoughtful and focused U.S. domestic and international recommendations on Customs and Trade Facilitation matters in the COVID-19 crisis environment.
- Represent USCIB members at the World Customs Organization (WCO) Harmonized System (HSC) and related meetings.
- Advocate for robust and meaningful implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA), the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act (TFTEA) signed into law in 2019 (e.g., forced labor, duty drawback).
- Advance thoughtful consensus, member-supported, comments which often take into consideration potential implementation issues and/or unintended consequences on such key issues as Customs matters in the crisis environment, Customs and Trade Facilitation provisions in FTAs, forced labor, domestic and international e-commerce efforts in the customs space related to physical goods movement (e.g., WCO Frameworkof Standards).
- Represent our members in efforts to secure the global classification of products at WCO.
- Advocate for business on issues such as forced labor, E-Commerce, and more.
- Meet with U.S. government officials at the key agencies of Department of Commerce, Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Department of Treasury, and Department of State to ensure that U.S. business interests are well reflected in U.S. government positions.
- Promote the reduction of trade barriers and transaction costs at the border, as well as in customs control practices and advocates for the harmonization of global customs procedures by leveraging various fora and government agencies.
Magnifying Your Voice with USCIB:
- USCIB is the only U.S. business association formally affiliated with the world’s three largest business organizations where we work with business leaders across the globe to extend our reach to influence policymakers in key international markets to American business
- Build consensus with like-minded industry peers and participate in off-the-record briefings with policymakers both home and abroad.
Positions and Statements
USCIB Welcomes Senate’s Unanimous Confirmation Vote on USTR Tai (3/18/2021) - USCIB salutes the Senate for its unanimous vote on March 17 to confirm Katherine Tai as the next U.S. Trade… 
USCIB Announces 2021 Priority Issues for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) (1/6/2021) - Washington D.C., January 5, 2020 — The United States Council for International Business (USCIB), which represents many of America’s leading… News Stories
USCIB Contributes to OECD Meetings on Countering Illicit Trade in E-Commerce - USCIB Senior Director for Customs and Trade Facilitation Megan Giblin was in Paris earlier this month attending the second workshop of the OECD… 
USCIB Advocates for the WTO Moratorium on Customs Duties at the OECD - USCIB argued for a permanent extension of the WTO moratorium on customs duties on electronic transmissions during a March 9… Press Releases
USCIB Issues an ATA Carnet Advisory for the United Kingdom (3/14/2023) - New York, N.Y., March 14, 2023 – The United States Council for International Business (USCIB), the national guaranteeing and issuing… 
USCIB Joins Global Trade and Industry in Statement to Urge WTO to Renew Moratorium on Customs Duties on Electronic Transmissions (5/18/2022) - May 17, 2022, New York, NY -- The United States Council for International Business (USCIB) joined today nearly 100 other global… Op-Eds and Speeches
Donnelly Co-Authors Op-Ed in The Hill on Commercial Diplomacy (2/3/2021) - USCIB Senior Advisor Shaun Donnelly and his longtime State Department colleague Ambassador (ret.) Tony Wayne recently co-wrote an op-ed in… 
Op-Ed: Business Must Come Together to Respond to COVID-19 Now (3/30/2020) - Earlier this month, nearly 500 experts in public health, law and human rights wrote an open letter to U.S Vice… Chair
Michelle Welsh
Senior Counsel
Global Trade Compliance Legal
Google, Inc.
Staff
Megan Giblin
Director
Customs & Trade Facilitation
202-371-9235 or mgiblin@uscib.org
Staff
Ashley Harrington
Policy & Program Assistant, Washington
202-682-5861 or aharrington@uscib.org
