IFCBA holds Board Meeting with focuses on membership, next generation of CB, AEOs, and MRAs

The International Federation of Customs Brokers (IFCBA) on 28th August organised a virtual Board of Directors meeting, with representations from numerous countries at various stages of global trade facilitation. Shankar Shinde, IFCBA Chairman, who also chairs the Federation of Freight Forwarders’ Association in India, spoke at the event to welcome IFCBA directors and past chairs from all over the world, and identified three areas of importance for them to contribute in. First is the membership recruitment drive of the IFCBA which is underway and Mr. Shinde talked about what benefits it brings to the member associations. The second priority is nurturing the next generation of customs brokers, which is also a goal shared by the World Customs Organization (WCO).  The final goal is paying attention to Authorized Economic Operators (AEOs), and Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs), which is the key for facilitation and promotion of efficient logistics operations across borders. “IFCBA not only provides an effective platform to the CB community to connect with the world of wisdom but also acts as a vigilant on international Customs matters, intervening/collaborating with the policy decisions of different Governments. We at IFCBA appeal to the world Customs fraternity to get them prepared for coping with the threat to the traditional CB business. Under this umbrella organisation they should also be united to strengthen trade facilitation, i.e. smooth cargo clearance across the borders,” said Mr. Shinde.