Customs and other border agencies engage in a delicate balancing act, protecting their countries from countless threats, helping to keep their citizens safe, while also maximising trade flows and revenue collection.
Given the billions of dollars of goods crossing borders each day, their task would be impossible without extensive private sector collaboration, with compliance rewarded and violations penalised.
The world relies on trade – making it responsible, safe and frictionless is in everyone’s best interest – countries, businesses, and consumers. Self-regulation and informed consent have changed the broader trading environment, recognising borders as a shared responsibility. Yet there remains plenty of scope for improvement, particularly in low and middle-income countries.
The Alliance’s public-private partnership approach facilitates ongoing, sustainable engagement among key stakeholders in developing countries, including participation in public-private dialogues, working groups, and project steering governance to formulate and implement jointly agreed solutions to identified problems.
Faster, more cost-effective clearance benefits businesses of all sizes, particularly resource-strapped MSMEs already facing significant challenges to expansion. Navigating complex border procedures means time and cost for traders, pushing global markets further out of reach for many small businesses.
