When UNCTAD launched ASYCUDA almost twenty years ago, most people in the computing industry or in governments thought that our vision of a sophisticated, reliable customs automation system which did not run on expensive mainframes and that could be implemented in any country would never become a reality.

They were wrong. Today, over eighty countries in all regions of the world, at all levels of economic development, rely on ASYCUDA as the best system available to operate their Customs service and to provide their governments with comprehensive, accurate and timely trade statistics.

The key of the success of ASYCUDA has been the outstanding team who has worked in every aspect of the programme, from system architecture and design, to field implementation and training. Thanks to them, today ASYCUDA represents much more than an advanced technological product. It has become a worldwide network of institutions, companies and people working together for development.

As the global leaders in customs automation, the challenge and the responsibility of the ASYCUDA team in the new millennium will be to make sure that customs play the major role they should have in helping our user countries benefit fully from the exciting new opportunities created by electronic commerce.

Today, traders around the world face a paradox: while in the Internet their customers (and their competitors) may be a few clicks away, in the real world goods can be held for weeks at customs, or sitting idle at a port terminal, or lost in some railway station. Together with our partners in governments, the industry and other international organizations, the ASYCUDA programme should help prepare the way for a global, seamless IT system for international trade that will solve this paradox. We know this is an ambitious goal, but not more than our dream of twenty years ago.