Dubai Customs will organise the region's inaugural 'WCO IT Conference and Exhibition' in May playing host to over 800 senior decision makers representing the World Customs Organization and customs departments of more than 100 countries, including specialists in customs, security and information technology.

It is an annual event envisioned by the World Customs Organization to highlight new approaches to Customs IT and emphasize the impact of closer cooperation with global border regulatory agencies.

Held under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the 2013 edition will be graced by Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, who will also deliver the keynote speech.

Themed ‘Effective Solutions for Coordinated Border Management’, the WCO IT Conference and Exhibition will run from May 14 to 16 at Atlantis – The Palm in Dubai.

The conference will be headlined by a number of prominent global leaders and decision makers including Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Raymond Benjamin, the secretary general of the International Organization of Civil Aviation (ICAO), Kunio Mikuriya, the secretary general of the World Customs Organization, John Scanlon, the secretary general of CITES, and Juma Al Ghaith, the executive director of Customs Development at Dubai Customs.

Ahmed Butti Ahmed, the executive chairman of Dubai Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation and Dubai Customs director general, said, "The conference gains contextual importance from its status as the annual calendar event for decision-makers and stakeholders in the customs industry worldwide."

"In addition to serving as the primary reference point for discovering new IT approaches, technologies and solutions in customs, the platform will help identify ways to strengthen border and ports security, and facilitate foreign trade," he stated.

"The IT conference and exhibition is known to significantly impact core business activities and the way border agencies operate across the trade, economic, security, and political priorities," Ahmed noted.

The conference will focus on sharing views, experiences and best practices between global border security agents and other government entities such as customs, environment ministries, municipalities, health authorities, and immigration.

It will also seek to broaden communication channels between stakeholders to help maintain safer economies and societies, said the official.-TradeArabia News Service