The Dubai Customs Advisory Council has highlighted new initiatives for customs processes development as well as current and future changes, as per the framework to implement Dubai Plan 2021.

It was discussed at its second meeting for the year, headed by Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, director of Dubai Customs, and chairman of the council, in presence of council members and chairmen of business groups.

“Dubai Customs has recently launched ‘Mestanis’ campaign - stands for (Are You Happy?) - in response to the initiative launched by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to daily measure the public’s happiness and satisfaction with government services,” Musabih said.

He underscored that the initiatives launched by DC to open more channels of communication with its clients have resulted in increasing DC’s client satisfaction which amounted to 91.2 per cent last year compared to 89.2 per cent in 2013, according to a survey conducted by the Executive Council of Dubai Government, in co-operation with an external research company.

The rise in client satisfaction took DC from the 13th place to the 11th among medium government departments.

The same survey also showed that employee satisfaction soared from 67.2 per cent in 2013 to  80.4 per cent last year, taking DC from the 20th place all the way to the 10th place in one year.

Referring to the preparations underway to accommodate Expo 2020, Juma Al Ghaith, executive director of Customs Development Division and deputy Chairman of the DC Advisory Council, said that the next phase will witness new development initiatives to facilitate and streamline trade flow.

“These initiatives will be based on the feedback we get from our clients as well as on studies of all suggestions made to ensure state-of-the-art customs services are in place,” he said.  

Abdullah Al Khaja, executive director of Customer Management Division, said that the consultative body is an actual representation of a true public-private partnership that serves common interests. He reiterated that Dubai Customs pays utmost attention to its clients and makes sure to cater to their needs with exceptional customs services.

Deepak Babani, chairman of Electronics Business Group and chief executive officer of Eros Group, made a detailed presentation on the current situation as well as the prospects of electronics markets in the UAE and the region. He proposed devising a regulatory framework for electronics trade that creates equal opportunities for all investors in this sector, in addition to putting forth legislation and laws to attract more local and global investments to the emirate.

Some of DC officials made presentations to introduce the attendees to the free trade agreement between the EFTA states (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and the Swiss Confederation) and the member states of the GCC, the Convention on International Transport of Goods Under Cover of TIR Carnets and the online VCC (Vehicle Clearance Certificate) facility within DC. - TradeArabia News Service