What is International Customs Day?

On January 26th every year, International Customs Day is celebrated to appreciate the
hard work of customs officials across the world and spread awareness about the role they
play in the smooth movement of goods across borders. This, as we know, is highly
important to ensure that global trade and international shipping can continue.

Each year, the day celebrates a different theme, with previous themes including
‘nurturing the next generation: promoting a culture of knowledge-sharing and
professional pride in Customs’, which aimed to increase a sense of belonging to the
Customs community. This year’s theme is ‘Customs Engaging Traditional and New
Partners with Purpose’. Before we dive into what this means, let’s start by taking a look at
the history of International Customs Day.

The History of International Customs Day

International Customs Day was first started in 1983 by the World Customs Organisation
(WCO). The WCO are responsible for overseeing global customs administrations involved
in international trade. To understand how International Customs Day started, let’s go back
to 1953.

Back then, the WCO was known as the Customs Cooperation Council (CCC) (the name
change came in 1994), founded on the aspiration to make customs work better around
the globe. The CCC’s first session happened on 26th January 1953 and 30 years later in
1983, International Customs Day was founded in celebration of the milestone anniversary
of the organisation. To this day, the WCO has grown to represent 185 customs
administrations and monitors at least 98% of world trade.

International Customs Day 2024

The theme of International Customs Day 2024 aims to capture and emphasise the
ever-evolving world of customs operations within the modern global landscape. We live in
an era of constant technological advancements and developments within global trade.
This means that customs officials are often having to forge new partnerships, whilst
upholding traditional values, to incorporate new innovations and opportunities into their
roles.

This reflects the ever-changing landscape of international trade which is often seeing
changes related to AI, digital transformation and sustainable developments.

How to Celebrate International Customs Day

The significance of International Customs Day is intended to attract people to the role
whilst also retaining the talent of existing customs officials, giving their work recognition.

To celebrate this day, people are encouraged to reach out to customs officials and thank
them for the work that they do in protecting our borders and ensuring international
shipping and trade runs smoothly. Whether this is by email, over social media or doing it
the old fashioned way and picking up pen and paper and sending a letter, this is a great
way to show appreciation for all of the hard work that they do.

At Jenkar, we understand the importance of customs and take pride in our level of
knowledge in the area. We want to take this opportunity to say a huge thank you from
Jenkar Shipping to customs officials across the globe! Without them, our freight services
would not run as efficiently and as smoothly as they do and they play a huge role in
getting our client’s cargo to where it needs to be.

Our team is trained to help clients navigate the complexities of customs compliance and
getting the correct documentation together before a shipment is due to leave for delivery.
If you require assistance with import and export clearance, whether you’re shipping by
road, air or sea, our friendly team is here to help. Simply get in touch today to your journey
with Jenkar.