Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Jamal, Chairman of the General Authority of Customs
Doha: Chairman of the General Authority of Customs (GAC) H E Ahmed bin Abdullah Al Jamal affirmed the readiness to receive the huge numbers of arrivals and goods expected during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, pointing to years of preparation and the appropriate measures undertaken to contribute to the success of this event.
Speaking to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Al Jamal explained that the standing committees responsible for ports in the country developed joint plans adopting the best mechanisms and methods to manage this event in accordance with the best international practices. The committees also learned about the experiences of previous countries in cooperation with partner government agencies working in the country’s ports, within the framework of joint coordination with the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy.
Regarding the planning aspect, the Chairman of the General Authority of Customs explained that scenarios have been proactively developed within the context of the Authority’s responsibility of monitoring the events taking place in the country.
Customs administrations made different assumptions about what may happen in the future and evaluated the impact on their daily work, benefiting from the different experiences gained by the preparations for past major sporting events, most notably the FIFA Arab Cup 2021, 2021 Qatar Grand Prix - Formula 1, Lusail Super Cup, and others.
In view of the expected surge in temporary imports of goods related to sports equipment, logistical supplies, technical equipment of sports teams, organisers and specialised task forces for all projects of the State, Al Jamal noted that the General Authority of Customs took the appropriate measures to simplify the procedures for temporary entry, and coordinated with the competent authorities to promote the application of intellectual property rights, whether to protect trademarks related to the World Cup or other goods and products. The Authority also updated the information of customs officials about the rules of intellectual property rights of different trademarks to ensure their protection and set rules for addressing any problem in this regard.
Al Jamal pointed to the Authority’s keenness to take all necessary technical measures. Therefore, it has launched an electronic platform for dealing with important sporting events, including the World Cup. The “Sports Events Management System” serves as a special window that includes the specific requirements for easy registering for entities participating in the World Cup and facilitates customs procedures for imports and shipments coming to Qatar for those entities.
The Authority also launched the new platform for Al Nadeeb system for customs clearance to keep pace with the highest international standards in customs services.
Al Jamal added that the Authority formed trained working teams to provide support related to the Authority’s readiness and preparations for important international events, with the aim of facilitating and simplifying customs procedures, supporting the country’s air, land and sea ports in cases of emergency or exceptional events (sports, economic and others), and providing comprehensive support to customs ports 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
He pointed out that the Authority took part in the comprehensive expansion process carried out by Abu Samra Administration Committee in cooperation with the Public Works Authority (Ashghal).
Al Jamal added that the General Authority of Customs, represented by the Operations, Risk Analysis and IT Department, has completed the electronic link between the Authority and the Insurance Office at Abu Samra to accelerate the process of insurance for vehicles coming through the port.
