Building Resilient Supply Chains to Protect Society focus of WCO’s latest webinar

• Secure and resilient supply chains are essential to protecting society, facilitating legitimate trade and supporting global economic resilience.
• Customs administrations and the private sector play complementary roles in strengthening supply chain integrity through partnership, innovation and intelligence-led risk management.
• Building resilient supply chains requires international cooperation, modern technologies, trusted partnerships and globally harmonized standards.

On 22 September 2026, the World Customs Organization (WCO) held the third webinar in its 2026 series dedicated to the Theme of the Year, "Customs Protecting Society through Vigilance and Commitment." Under the title "Building Resilient Supply Chains to Protect Society," the webinar brought together representatives from Customs administrations, the private sector and international partners to discuss how resilient supply chains contribute to secure trade, economic prosperity and the protection of society.

The discussion reflected the growing recognition that global supply chains are increasingly exposed to a wide range of challenges, including organized crime, geopolitical instability, technological change, and disruptions to international trade. Against this backdrop, speakers explored how Customs administrations are strengthening supply chain integrity by balancing effective border controls with trade facilitation, risk-based decision-making, and close collaboration with supply chain stakeholders.

Opening the webinar, Isolde Murphy, Director of Implementation and Capacity Development at the WCO, emphasized that Customs play a strategic role in protecting society by ensuring that legitimate trade moves securely and efficiently across borders. She highlighted the importance of international standards, coordinated border management, intelligence-led enforcement, and strong partnerships in strengthening the resilience of global supply chains.

Keynote Address: Building Resilient Supply Chains Through Partnership

In his keynote address, Nicholas Tabori, Director of U.S. Regulatory Affairs at the World Shipping Council, highlighted the shared responsibility of governments and industry in safeguarding international supply chains. He emphasized that resilient supply chains are fundamental to economic growth and public confidence, and that effective cooperation between Customs administrations and the maritime sector is essential to preserving the integrity of global trade.

The keynote further underlined that transparency, quality data, harmonized standards and modern technologies enable Customs and industry to better identify risks, strengthen supply chain visibility and facilitate the efficient movement of legitimate goods while preventing criminal exploitation of international trade.

Panel Discussion: Strengthening Supply Chain Integrity Through Partnership

A panel discussion followed bringing together representatives from the Portuguese Customs Administration and the Smart Container Alliance to share practical experiences and discuss how collaboration strengthens the resilience of international supply chains.

Drawing on perspectives from both the public and private sectors, panelists explored how digitalization, advance cargo information, intelligence-led risk management and coordinated border management are transforming Customs operations while supporting legitimate trade. They also emphasized that resilient supply chains depend on trusted partnerships between Customs administrations, port authorities, shipping companies, logistics providers, technology partners, and other competent authorities.

The discussion highlighted that protecting supply chain integrity requires continuous adaptation to evolving threats. Investment in technology, data analytics and human expertise, combined with effective information sharing and internationally recognized standards, enables Customs administrations to identify emerging risks while minimizing unnecessary disruption to legitimate commerce.

A recurring message throughout the webinar was that resilient supply chains are built on trust, cooperation, and shared responsibility. Customs administrations cannot achieve this objective alone; meaningful engagement with governments, international organizations, the private sector and other border agencies is essential to strengthening the security and resilience of international trade.

The webinar reaffirmed that protecting society begins with protecting the integrity of global supply chains. By combining innovation, effective risk management, international standards and strong public-private partnerships, Customs administrations continue to strengthen confidence in the global trading system while ensuring that legitimate trade remains secure, efficient and resilient.

As the third event in the WCO's 2026 Theme of the Year webinar series, the discussion reinforced the Organization's commitment to supporting its Members in building resilient supply chains that protect society through vigilance, commitment and international cooperation.