Business & Money | Sunday 30 October, 2016 4:35 pm |

Dubai Customs has organised yesterday (Sunday, October 30) an Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) Program Certification Ceremony to recognise the select group of certified operators who were part of the successful pilot phase of the program. Fifteen companies, members of the program, were awarded AEO certificates, which testifies them as trusted partners in the supply chain.

Held at the St. Regis, Dubai, the ceremony was attended by H.E. Commissioner Ali Al Kaabi, Head of the Federal Customs Authority, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman and CEO of DP World and Chairman of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation, Mohammed Buossaiba, Director General of the Federal Customs Authority, Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Dubai Customs Director and high-level government officials.

The AEO program successfully took off and continues to be implemented across the UAE under the aegis of the Federal Customs Authority . The new economic scheme follows the directives of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, towards boosting the performance of the UAE’s foreign trade to better secure the UAE’s post-oil future. The AEO program will create seamless commercial links between the UAE and the rest of the world.

Officially launched at Gitex 2016 by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of the Executive Council, the AEO program delivers a comprehensive set of benefits to certified partners including faster clearance, preferential customs treatment and dedicated Key Account Manager. It also establishes strategic partnerships with other AEO programs around the world through Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRA) which will facilitate global market access to AEO certified local traders. Potential authorized economic operators could include manufacturers, importers, exporters, brokers, carriers, consolidators, intermediaries, ports, airports terminal operators, integrated operators, warehouses and distributors.

H.E. Commissioner Ali Al Kaabi, Head of the Federal Customs Authority, who opened the ceremony, hailed the UAE's healthy non-oil foreign trade, saying that statistics show a striking over fourfold growth (458%) in 12 years going up from AED 190 billion in 2003 to AED 1.06 trillion in 2015. He pointed out that in order to handle the challenges rising from the growth in trade activity, the country invested heavily in human and technological resources. 

“The AEO Program is the latest in a series of systems and programs adopted by the customs administrations in UAE. Moreover, the AEO program is one of the provisions of the WTO’s Agreement on Trade Facilitation that was ratified recently by the UAE, becoming the first Arab state to ratify this agreement.

“The AEO program reflects the importance of partnership between customs departments and private sector to bolster security and contribute to trade facilitation, by offering incentives and exclusive benefits,” added Al Kaabi.

The FCA, in collaboration with local customs administrations, is implementing the AEO program over three phases: The pilot launch of the program in Dubai Customs, the implementation of the program by local customs departments, and finally the authorization of economic operators by the local customs administrations according to the agreed criteria.

The FCA, Al Kaabi said, seeks to optimize the benefits for authorized operators through signing mutual recognition agreements between the UAE and states that have implemented the AEO program.

Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem also spoke at the ceremony. He acclaimed the great role assumed by the Federal Customs Authority as a key partner in the AEO program implementation, and thanked the companies who joined in the successful pilot phase of the promising economic program.

“The AEO program is in line with World Customs Organization’s principals to facilitate trade through secured supply chain, and in line also with the leading government projects happening in the UAE with the aim to stay on top of latest customer service excellence trends. The program will further set the UAE at the centre of the global trade network and boost the country’s ranking on world competitiveness index, being now one of 63 countries worldwide that have implemented the program,” said Bin Sulayem.

“The AEO program is a federal program that connects the UAE with the rest of the world in terms of trade and customs. Certified AEOs will enjoy global market access through Mutual Recognition Agreements. It is predicted that Customs transactions delivered through the AEO program will account for 50% of all Customs transactions by 2020. That would be a significant added value for the country’s preparations, especially in Dubai, to host Expo 2020,” he added.

Speaking on behalf of Dubai Customs, Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, said that the AEO program is in harmony with the ambitious vision for the UAE to be one of the best countries in the world by 2021.

“The AEO program functionally enhances our ability to predict and envision the global trade supply chain, thus empowering us with a greater proactiveness in managing and planning logistics. The program also helps in reducing document and shipments controls, which significantly improves our capacity to handle the colossal and diversified volumes of goods and commercial transactions coming into Dubai via air, land and sea entry-points,” Musabih said.