The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has continued to seal partnerships to tighten up onworldwide supply chain security with a cooperation agreement with the World Customs Organization
(WCO).The move is part of the DHS’ efforts to step up international cooperation with both the publicand private sector to increase the security of the global supply chain, and follows the thwartedYemen parcel-bomb attacks late last year.
“Securing the global supply chain is part and parcel of securing both the lives of people aroundthe world, and the stability of the global economy,” said the US Secretary of Homeland Security,Janet Napolitano. “The United States is committed to working with our international partners andthe private sector to keep this powerful engine of commerce, jobs, and prosperity from beingattacked or disrupted.”
Addressing shipping and cargo stakeholders, security experts and government officials at theEuropean Policy Centre in Brussels on January 6, Secretary Napolitano said there are three mainelements of the international effort to strengthen the security of the global supply chain. Theseare to prevent terrorists from exploiting the global supply chain to plan and execute attacks; toprotect the most critical elements of the supply chain system, such as transportation hubs andrelated critical infrastructure, from attacks and disruptions; and to build up the resilience ofthe global supply chain to recover quickly after any incidents.
Secretary Napolitano highlighted DHS’ commitment to working with customs agencies and shippingcompanies from around the world to keep precursor chemicals that can be used to produce improvisedexplosive devices (IEDs) from being trafficked by terrorists. In 2011, the DHS would work with itsinternational partners to strengthen cargo screening standards across the globe; deployingstate-of-the-art technologies to better track and detect precursors; and, in conjunction with theDepartments of State and Defense, expanding and coordinating technical assistance and training topartner countries to ensure that well-developed, well-equipped customs agencies are able to dotheir jobs everywhere along the global supply chain.
WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya said the WCO would work with the DHS to build internationalconsensus on strengthening cargo screening standards across the globe and deployingstate-of-the-art technologies to better track and detect precursor chemicals. “The recent air cargoincidents show the necessity for international cooperation in enhancing trade security using a riskmanagement approach as embodied in the WCO SAFE Framework of Standards,” he said.
The DHS now requires the screening of all cargo on passenger planes within and departing fromthe United States, as well as 100% of US-bound high-risk air cargo. DHS is also working withprivate sector and international partners to acquire advance information about cargo before itleaves for the United States in order to identify and screen items based on risk andintelligence.
