Customs-Private Sector Partnership Mechanism in Cambodia

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On International Customs Day, January 26, 2010 in Phnom Penh, under the approval of the Royal Government of Cambodia, the Customs-Private Sector Partnership Mechanism-CPPM was established for the first time in her history.

 The official launch of CPPM was presided over by H.E Dr. Pen Siman, Delegate of the Royal Government of Cambodia, Director General of Customs and Excise and also the chairperson of CPPM. It was attended by Management Boards of the General Department of Customs and Excise of Cambodia and representatives of private sectors including chairperson of Cambodia Chamber of Commerce, Garment Manufacturing Association of Cambodia (GMAC), Small and Medium Enterprise Association, developer and investors of the Special Economic Zone, Transport Association, Freight Forwarder Association, some large taxpayers and high compliance traders.

The main purpose of the official launch of CPPM is to raise the awareness to all stakeholders, to accelerate a better cooperation, and to insure the efficiency of the implementation of trade facilitation policy of the Royal Government of Cambodia and also the policy of World Customs Organization, especially WCO SAFE Framework of standard . These objectives are following:

 . To build trust and mutual understanding and cooperation between customs and private sector.

. To promote fiscal morality, trade facilitation in order to enhance the compliance of laws and regulations. To insure that all customs related issues be consulted or solved at CPPM before the issues are brought to other mechanism such as inter-government body or Government-Private Sector Forum.

Official Launch of Customs-Private Sector Partnership Mechanism, January 26, 2010

. To promote the private sector participation, at the greatest possible extent, in the process of solving all customs related issues.

 Group Photo: Representative of Private Sectors and Customs Management Board, Headquarter of GDCE, January 26, 2010

The underlying idea is to enhance the Customs-Private Sector Partnership, which will promote a policy of openness, and to encourage exchange of ideas between Customs administrations and private sector stakeholders in order to efficiently facilitate the international trade, and also insure the global safety and security.

Public Relation Unit was established to serve as the secretariat of CPPM for
daily operation.

Questions and Answers Session

The mechanism consists of two hierarchical levels: Management Board and three Technical Working Groups.

The 3 working groups are characterized by its types of investments and business industries. Those are:

• Customs-Export Oriented Garment Industry Working Group
• Customs-Export Oriented Non-Garment Industry Working Group
• Customs-Domestic Market Oriented Business Working Group
  
  

 

                         

 

  
Cambodia Development Council-CDC has organized so far Government-Private Sector Forum with the fruitful outcomes under the leadership of Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo Hun Sen, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia. As there was no such formal mechanism in the past, some customs related issues identified in the forum have not been consulted or solved efficiently at the technical level before they are brought to Government-Private Sector Forum.

General Department of Customs and Excise of Cambodia expects that this new mechanism could deal more efficiently with many customs related issues and misunderstandings, especially with procedures for cargo clearance, informal costs and unnecessary delay.


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