HE the Chairman of The General Authority of Customs (GAC), Ahmed bin Abdullah al-Jamal has stressed that the Authority is working to develop and simplify customs procedures and apply the latest regulations in accordance with the best international standards and practices.  
Delivering a speech on the occasion of the International Customs Day (ICD), which falls on January 26 every year, HE al-Jamal said the Authority is also building bridges of trust and co-operation with its partners and the public dealing with it.
HE al-Jamal said the Authority is keen, through celebrating the International Customs Day (ICD), to show its vital role of enhancing community security and supporting economic development in the country.
He appreciated the efforts of the working team to improve Qatar’s ranking in the Ease of Doing Business Index issued by the World Bank. Qatar ranked 77th worldwide for 2020, 6 places higher than in 2019. 
HE al-Jamal said the authority aspires to achieve better ranks in the coming years commensurate with the improvements that have been made.
This year the day is being celebrated under the slogan “Customs supports the promotion of sustainability for society and the world and achieving prosperity”.
The ceremony was attended by HE the Minister of Finance Ali Sherif al-Emadi and HE the Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti.
HE al-Jamal noted that the GAC has concluded a number of memoranda of understanding with the Ministry of Public Health, the Ministry of Municipal and Environment, and the General Authority for Standardisation, to assess and improve the level of services provided at customs outlets with the aim of reducing release time and reducing the cost of import and export.
He said that the Authority had reviewed the legislation related to the customs clearance process for imported, exported and transit goods, and necessary steps have been taken to move entirely to electronic procedures obviating the need for paper documents, as well as adopting international best practices in customs clearance, such as clearance of goods in advance.
He added that GAC had worked to re-evaluate its customs services fees from a competitive perspective.
He said that the GAC had implemented electronic link with the public prosecutor with the aim of requesting the initiation of criminal cases, using the electronic method, related to smuggling, in a manner that ensures accuracy and speed of transfer of information about smuggling.
He noted that in the field of supporting and enhancing the efforts of the National Committee to combat money laundering and terrorist financing crimes, two memoranda of understanding were signed between the GAC and the Qatar Charitable Authority and the Qatar Financial Centre, and the electronic approval programme was launched, where the information of the declarations provided by travellers on the movable funds they have, are recorded in order to register, document and transfer that information to the Financial Information Unit through an electronic link between the two parties.
In the context of efforts to create an attractive investment environment, HE al-Jamal explained that the Authority had contributed to supporting these efforts in co-operation with the Free Zones Authority, to provide and apply the best customs experiences and practices in those areas according to the rules of facilitation and commitment in commercial practices. 
As for the strategic projects, the Authority pays special attention to improving the technical work environment, and with the Ministry of Transport and Communications through launching its ambitious initiative represented by the “TASMU” project, and its continuous support to the General Authority of Customs, where “TASMU” / System Development Initiative has embraced Risk in the Customs Authority to work to turn it into a sophisticated and smart system.
He said that the Authority seeks to achieve the goals of its five-year strategic plan through the implementation of its projects in accordance with an annual work plan according to which implementation, follow-up and evaluation of work performance in all units affiliated with the Authority are carried out.
He also noted that in the field of supporting and strengthening international co-operation, the GAC had implemented the agreement (transit), which aims to facilitate the movement of goods transport by road to the maximum as possible, and at the same time maintain security and customs entitlements to the countries through which the goods transported in this system and supported with the guarantee agreement signed between the General Authority of Customs and the Qatar Chamber.