Launched in 1985, the WCO Fellowship Programme (FP) is one of a number of initiatives designed by the WCO to enable Customs officers from developing countries to acquire sound knowledge of internationally recognized Customs standards, techniques and practices, and to bolster their supervisory and management capacities so as to help them carry out reform and modernization within their respective administrations.

Over a period of seven weeks, fellows become acquainted with WCO tools and instruments; undertake a research study on a Customs topic of their choosing; participate in a Leadership and Management Development (LMD) workshop; and take part in a practical field study at a Customs administration.

Fellows are selected by the WCO Secretariat among candidates chosen by Customs administrations for having great potential in terms of career development based on their capacities to learn and lead. They are required to have at least four years of service in Customs, during which they should have risen to a middle-management position. Below are the testimonies of former fellows who explain the impact of the programme on their career and highlight some of their achievements.

Mrs. Jacobina Festus participated in the 70^th Fellowship Programme in 2016. At the time, she had already been working in Customs for 16 years and was Chief Customs and Excise Officer at Eros Airport, supervising 18 staff members and managing cargo and passenger operations.

During the programme, she was able to broaden her knowledge on various Customs matters and especially on IP protection, as her research paper focused on “Improving the enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPRs) in Namibia”.

However, it was the WCO LMD workshop that had the greatest impact on her and her career. “I learned that different situations demand different management styles and that managers should be able to adapt their approach accordingly. I also acquired practical know-how; for example, I learned how to motivate individuals by helping them find out where they want to go, what challenges they are facing, and how I can be of help. I was also very interested in the change management component of the workshop,” she explained.

Upon her return to Namibia in November 2016, she attended meetings with various divisions within the Customs and Excise Directorate, sharing her views on IPR protection in Namibia and reporting on the WCO LMD Programme. In April 2017, she was promoted and put in charge of the coordination of training, learning and development activities. In this role, she encouraged many of her colleagues to apply for the various learning opportunities offered by the WCO.

When the Namibia Revenue Agency (NamRA) was launched in April 2021, she served on the Change Management Committee as a Champion of Change, advising her colleagues on how to cope during the transitional period, a duty she carried out with great passion, even after hours and during weekends. In July 2022, she was appointed as Manager of the Customs Compliance Programme, a role which involves spearheading the implementation of trade facilitation initiatives and engaging with governmental and private-sector entities.

She successfully coordinated the implementation of the first Time Release Study (TRS) in Namibia and supported the Eswatini Revenue Agency and the Philippines Bureau of Customs in deploying their own TRS. She has also contributed to a number of capacity-building efforts and has been recognized as a trainer for the WCO Middle Management Development Programme since May 2023. Together with her fellow trainers, she has already trained 22 middle managers within NamRA.

A total of six officers from the Customs Administration of the Dominican Republic have participated in the Fellowship Programme since 1985. After successfully completing the programme, they returned to their Customs Administration, where they have since aligned national procedures with WCO instruments, modernized outdated processes, created a mechanism for the issuance of advance rulings on classification, origin and valuation, and encouraged staff to embrace reforms. They have inspired many of their colleagues, creating a dynamic that has led to the establishment of the Deliberative Technical Commission which supports the implementation of innovative ideas and measures. They have also developed change management strategies which are critical to ensure that innovative practices and working methods are consistently understood and adopted by all staff.

Rony Ulloa, Head of the Enforcement Department at the Regional Customs Office of Puerto Montt, participated in the Fellowship Programme in 2016 and wrote his research paper on the “Identification of needs and recommendations for the strengthening of the Customs Service in the Los Lagos region”. Rony especially appreciated the component of the programme dedicated to developing leadership, management and teamwork skills which he considers critical for the success of any initiative.

On his return to Chile, he worked on the implementation of various measures aimed at improving processes at this regional office. He led the reform of the clearance process for perishable cargo exported by air and organized training on the use of intelligence and data analysis which greatly improved the detection rate of tax offences and resulted in the dismantling of networks involved in the smuggling of illicit items such as drugs, cigarettes, medicines, vehicles or IPR-infringing goods. He is currently working on a project leveraging artificial intelligence for the analysis of videos of vehicles, cargo and people in order to automate the detection of offences in the Free Zone of Puelche (Province of Palena) and its immediate surroundings.

Ms. Enkhjarhal Gankhuyag, Senior Customs Officer at the Post-Clearance Audit Department of Mongolia Customs, also gained valuable insights into leadership and change management techniques, which helped boost not only her knowledge but also her confidence. Upon returning to her Administration, she became involved in the development of standardized operating procedures for Customs valuation control during a post-clearance audit, in line with WCO standards. The whole Administration gained from her participation in the Fellowship Programme, as it was able to establish stronger links with WCO experts and with officers from other administrations. The Administration also realized the value of continually training staff and ensuring that international standards and best practices are well known, understood and effectively implemented.

Representing the Superintendency of Tax Administration of Guatemala (SAT), Mr. Erick Giovanni Velásquez Méndez chose to study the concept of coordinated border management and drafted an action plan for the implementation of joint inspections that would bring together several enforcement and regulatory authorities. As Head of the Trade Regulation and Facilitation Department, he recommended that his Administration sign agreements with relevant authorities, appoint a dedicated manager and team with the necessary authority to involve the personnel of other authorities at the border, and focus efforts on inspections involving authorized economic operators transporting goods through maritime ports.

In 2022, coordinated border management was made a priority for SAT, and Erick was asked to carry out a pilot project to operationalize the coordination and participation of the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food, and the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance in the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Programme in the main seaports of Guatemala. The agreement was signed on 2 September 2024 by all parties involved. Guatemala is now one of the very few countries having integrated other regulatory agencies into the AEO scheme. The scheme will be extended to the management of AEO operations at all ports of entry. A new project is also under way to carry out joint inspections on air passengers and enhance risk analysis. The project involves various domestic institutions as well as US governmental agencies.

Mr. Fredy Monroy reported that the programme had been rich in information and emotions. As all participants were asked to share personal stories, they got to know each other well, and, even though they all came from different cultures and backgrounds, this helped them build a team spirit. He was very touched to see that so many of his colleagues were moved by the story that he shared with them.

He had had the opportunity to visit Korea and to witness at first hand how the Customs Administration dealt with risk management, post-clearance audit and airport security. “I was amazed at what the country, which had emerged from World War II devastated and impoverished, had managed to achieve, and I was inspired by the resilience of the Korean people,” he declared. Thanks to his participation in the Fellowship Programme, his Administration was able to participate in the first cycle of the WCO Performance Measurement Mechanism (WCO PMM) by submitting data for the 2022 calendar year on a limited set of 51 key performance indicators (KPIs) related to 23 expected outcomes. He continues to lead performance measurement exercises and hopes to be involved in peer reviews with other administrations in the region.

Mr. Jyns Ordoñez Torres from Peru Customs (SUNAT) joined the Fellowship Programme in 2013. In addition to acquiring invaluable technical knowledge, he also learned a great deal about tolerance, resilience and empathy by spending time with people of different idiosyncrasies and ways of thinking. In his research paper, he focused on the “Application of risk management and intelligence-led controls in Peru Customs to combat commercial fraud”. He recommended the creation of “operational risk management divisions” within the country’s main Customs offices and the implementation of robust risk analysis methods.

Shortly after his return, he was appointed as Risk and Control Manager of air cargo and postal and express consignments. He was subsequently promoted to the post of Intendant of Postal Customs, and later to that of National Intendant of Customs Control.

He had the opportunity to lead the implementation of a control model based on non-intrusive inspection, as a result of which the number of containers scanned in Peru was increased 15‑fold. Enhanced inspection capacities and a robust risk management approach enabled the Administration to improve the detection of fraud and crimes, with the CIF value of seized goods increasing from USD 123 million in 2019 to more than USD 220 million in 2024. The number of narcotics seizures also greatly increased, with volumes of seized drugs increasing from 13 tonnes in 2019 to 36 tonnes in 2024.

He feels that his participation in the Fellowship Programme had an impact on the whole institution, as he was able to share the knowledge he had acquired and encourage his colleagues to develop their own leadership skills. Several of his direct collaborators were also appointed to managerial positions, and their teams have displayed outstanding performance. In October 2024, he was appointed as Deputy National Superintendent of Customs (Head of Peruvian Customs).

Marilú Llerena Aybar, who was a fellow in 2016, also played a significant role in SUNAT’s transformation and in the improvement of Customs operations throughout the Americas region. She held the position of Deputy National Superintendent of Customs (Head of Peruvian Customs) from 2020 to 2022, being the first female enforcement officer appointed in this capacity. During her tenure, she promoted the advancement of the participation of women in leadership positions across Peruvian Customs.

She and her team implemented several initiatives, including the FAST Programme which redesigned processes and automated 100% of entry and exit procedures using electronic documents based on the WCO Data Model. This led to dramatic improvements in processing times. Import, export and express shipment clearance times were reduced from 112, 21 and 72 hours in 2016 respectively to 34, 0.9 and 2.6 hours currently. Moreover, the percentage of successful advance clearance applications increased from 30% to 86%.

In 2021, she was also involved in the creation of the SMART Borders Programme, another collaborative effort aimed at strengthening Customs control through process redesign and the use of disruptive technologies such as non-intrusive inspection equipment and artificial intelligence.

Ms. Olga Tarlapan joined the programme in 2023 and chose to work on the enhancement of the advance ruling system. She had the opportunity to visit Japan and made reference to Japan Customs’ advanced ruling system in her research paper while also comparing Moldovan practices in this domain to WCO standards and recommendations. Upon returning to her Administration, she led the reform of the system, which involved amending the legislation, digitalizing the issuing processes, publishing relevant information on the Administration’s website, as well as setting up an IT platform for managing requests and publishing Customs rulings.

Mr. Fabiano Diniz chose the AEO Programme as his area of study, and, upon returning to Brazil, he was immediately integrated into the national team responsible for the implementation of the AEO Programme which was launched in December 2014. He is currently serving as Head of the National AEO Centre, where he is responsible for managing the AEO Programme in Brazil.

“I am very proud to have contributed to the implementation of this important initiative to modernize Brazilian Customs. Participating in the WCO Fellowship Programme has been instrumental in developing the knowledge and skills needed to carry out this project successfully,” said Mr. Diniz.

Ms. Cláudia Thomaz began her career as a Customs officer in Brazil in 1994 in the city of Foz do Iguazu, on the triple border of Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay. She was Chief Inspector of the Curitiba Customs Office when she participated in the 60^th edition of the Fellowship Programme in 2013.

The techniques she learned during the Leadership and Management Development course greatly contributed to her professional and personal development. She developed skills in key areas such as resource allocation, conflict mediation and improvement of the working environment. She presented a study on integrity and, on her return to Brazil, put her knowledge to good use by improving working practices at the Curitiba Customs Office. She launched a pilot project which yielded positive results, with several officers changing their behaviour and new procedures being adopted to add transparency in the execution of activities.

Nine years later, she was asked to take over the helm of the Regional Superintendency of the 9^th Fiscal Region, which covers the states of Parana and Santa Catarina. She has 2,000 employees under her authority working at large ports such as the Port of Paranagua and the Port of Itajai, as well as at the triple border in the Foz do Iguazu area.

After almost four years as Superintendent, she was asked to take up the position of Undersecretary for Customs Administration at the Secretariat of the Federal Revenue of Brazil, the highest senior management position in Brazilian Customs. She is the second woman ever to hold this position.

“I am extremely proud to have had the opportunity to participate in the WCO Fellowship Programme. It contributed greatly to my career, and I have encouraged many officers to follow in my footsteps,” said Ms. Thomaz.

Eleven officers from the Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA) have participated in the Fellowship Programme over the years. Three of them are currently occupying high-level senior management positions and are involved in defining the strategic direction of the organization. They have all been involved in implementing key modernization initiatives and managing the changes resulting from the intensive computerization of MRA systems, procedures and processes.

Five of the Fellowship Programme alumni from Mauritius are WCO Accredited Experts in various fields and have provided technical assistance to other Customs administrations. Some have even been tutoring participants of the WCO Virtual Customs Orientation Academy in the areas of Time Release Study, Integrity, and Customs Reforms and Modernization.

Mr. R. G. Ramnarain has played a key role in MRA modernization, participating in the project to digitalize documents (e-Customs project), the development of the National Single Window and the reform of the Customs auction sales. He has also overseen the drafting of the ESA Regional Strategy 2022-2025 and represents the MRA in high-level regional and international meetings. An accredited expert in Customs reform and modernization, he has also provided support to the Namibia Revenue Authority.

A WCO accredited expert in TRS, Mr. C. David was instrumental in conducting three TRS at the MRA, in 2016, 2019 and 2023. He has also supported the deployment of TRS in Zimbabwe, Belize, Togo, Bahrain, Gambia, Ghana and the Maldives.

An accredited expert in e-commerce, Mr. N. Vencatachellum has been involved in the implementation of several digitalization projects and the development of various computerized systems and platforms. He has participated in WCO capacity-building activities for countries of the Middle East and North Africa and of East and Southern Africa.

An accredited expert in the WCO Data Model, Mr. G. Mungroo has been involved in the implementation of several digitalization projects such as the National Single Window. He has also delivered capacity-building support related to the Data Model in Rwanda.

A WCO Technical and Operational Adviser (TOA) for the CEN applications since January 2025, Mr. J. Deelchand is also a regional nCEN leader and the National Contact Point for Mauritius for the WCO ESA Regional Intelligence and Liaison Office. He has participated in capacity-building activities in the Republic of the Congo, Senegal and Ghana.

Three sessions of the programme take place every year: one in French, one in English and the other in Spanish. Information about an upcoming session and the selection process is made available on the WCO website approximately five months before the session starts.

More information
https://www.wcoomd.org/en/topics/capacity-building/activities-and-programmes/people-development/learning/development-programmes/fellowship_programme.aspx