The WCO SAFE Framework of Standards: Avoiding Excess in Global Supply Chain Security Policy

Abstract

Prior to the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, customs controls related to national security threats did not feature highly on the policy priorities of the World Customs Organization’s (WCO). After 9/11 and implementation of several US Customs programs such as the Container Security Initiative (CSI) and the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT), and regulations such as the 24-Hour Rule, the WCO began to focus much more of its work on supply chain security. This transition culminated in 2005 with the adoption of the WCO SAFE Framework of Standards to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade (SAFE Framework), a non-binding instrument comprised of technical customs standards aimed at securing without impeding international trade. This article will discuss the intricacies of the SAFE Framework including its history, political context, and technical elements (especially risk management and the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) concept) and antecedents. This article will also consider the 2007 US legislation mandating 100% scanning of US-bound cargo containers at foreign ports that clouds and constrains the SAFE Framework’s future. The article concludes that policymakers should seek to avoid excess in formulating supply chain security policies.