A proposal was put forward to adopt the Baku Declaration, adopted within the framework of COP29, as a WCO document

As previously reported, the Conference of Heads of Customs Administrations of the WCO Europe Region was held in Brussels, Kingdom of Belgium.

During the conference, the Baku Declaration adopted at the high-level event entitled “Green Customs - High-Level Dialogue of Customs Officials”, held within the framework of COP29 in Baku in November 2024, was presented for discussion.

In his remarks, Chairman of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Lieutenant-General of the Customs Service Shahin Baghirov, emphasized the particular importance of “Green Customs” initiatives for the strategic development of the global customs system. He noted that the Baku Declaration has gone down in history as the first institutional and multilateral document adopted in this field.

Highlighting the growing role of customs administrations in environmental protection and combating climate change, he stated that the Baku Declaration could serve as a strategic foundation and guiding document for future initiatives in this area.

Speaking at the meeting, Vice-Chair of the WCO Europe Region and Director General of the Norwegian Customs Administration, Øystein Børmer, highly praised the event held in Baku and described the initiative as an important step toward promoting environmental values through customs activities.

During the discussions, the representative of the European Union, speaking on behalf of all EU Member States, as well as representatives of Türkiye, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Austria, Germany, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Belgium and Turkmenistan, expressed their full support for the Baku Declaration in their official statements.

It was noted that the Baku Declaration covers key priorities such as the role of customs administrations in addressing climate change, restricting the circulation of environmentally harmful products, promoting the implementation of green technologies, and encouraging environmentally sustainable trade.

At the conclusion of the discussions, agreement was reached to include the document on the agenda of the WCO Policy Commission and the Customs Co-operation Council sessions scheduled for June 2025, with a view to its formal adoption as an official WCO document.

State Customs Committee Press and Public Relations Department