Kunio Mikuriya re-elected Secretary General of the World Customs Organization

 


On 30th June 2018, Directors General of Customs who attended the annual sessions of the Council of the World Customs Organization (WCO) in Brussels (Belgium) re-elected the incumbent Secretary General, Kunio Mikuriya, for a further five-year term with effect from 1 January 2019.

In response to his re-election, Dr. Mikuriya said, “I am deeply honoured by the trust that Directors General of Customs from around the world have placed in my ability to lead the Secretariat.  I will continue working in close cooperation with all of them to achieve the Organization’s goals and realize our vision of modernization and connectivity.”

Before taking up his position as Secretary General of the WCO in 2009, Dr. Mikuriya spent seven years as the WCO’s Deputy Secretary General, leading efforts to coordinate the Secretariat’s work in partnership with other international organizations, such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as well as with the private sector.

Prior to joining the WCO, he worked for Japan’s Ministry of Finance for 25 years. During his career with the Ministry, Mr. Mikuriya occupied a variety of senior posts, which have given him broad experience and knowledge in Customs, trade, development, budget, and financial policies. He served as Director of Enforcement where he led efforts to fight illicit trade, then as Director of Research and International Affairs paving the way for the conclusion of the first regional trade agreement for Japan, and then as a Counsellor in the Tariff and Customs Bureau. He also served as Director of Salaries and Allowances to coordinate remuneration levels for the entire government workforce, and as the Budget Controller for Foreign Affairs, Official Aid, International Trade and Industry, in the Budget Bureau. In addition, he spent time as a Counsellor at the Japanese Mission to the WTO in Geneva and participated in the GATT Uruguay Round trade negotiations.

Mr. Mikuriya has a Bachelor of Arts in Law from the University of Tokyo (Japan) and a PhD in International Relations from the University of Kent (United Kingdom).

Source : www.wcoomd.org