Articles under section " Dossier: Data-Driven Modernization "

In the first weeks of 2026, the WCO organized two significant events: the WCO Technology Conference and Exhibition, which enabled participants to gain a better grasp of technology developments and how they contribute to enhancing Customs operations, and the Global Forum on origin self-certificatio...

For the Dossier section of this edition of the magazine, we have selected articles demonstrating how Customs administrations, together with their stakeholders, are collecting data and information to drive modernization efforts. In the first article, Guatemala Customs explains how it is using WCO Tim...

For more than a decade, Guatemala has been pressing forward with a sustained process to reform and modernize its Customs management. The entry into force of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) in 2017 has further strengthened its commitment to transparency, procedur...

TRS 2019: a starting point for change As part of its commitment to implement the TFA, including Article 7(6) which provides for Members to “measure and publish their average release time”, in November 2018 Guatemala held a “National workshop on the methodology to measure the time required f...

Since the beginning of the war between Ukraine and Russia in 2014, the State Customs Service of Ukraine (SCS) has been demonstrating a high level of institutional resilience. Today, it secures about 30% of Ukraine’s public budget revenue – a percentage that has been stable over the past few year...

The SCS Programme is fully aligned with the 10 factors listed in the WCO Revised Arusha Declaration concerning good governance and integrity in Customs, while putting emphasis on the need to adopt an evidence-based approach to inform the development of policies and initiatives. To collect data on ...

In 2008, a case of corruption shook Uruguay’s foreign trade community and shed light on the need to strengthen transparency and oversight within the sector. In response, Uruguay Customs embarked on a modernization project, with integrity constituting one of the fundamental pillars of its reform po...

Measuring impact These efforts have led to tangible results. In 2025, for the second consecutive year, Uruguay Customs ranked second in the National Transparency and Access to Public Information Index (INTAI), which examines public administrations’ practices related to information access, record...

Gambia Revenue Authority’s (GRA) strategic plan had long focused on improving revenue collection, but things changed in 2025 when trade facilitation was selected as one of the central pillars of a new plan. As GRA embarked on an ambitious reform and digital transformation agenda, its focus shifted...

More recently, work has been carried out to align GRA performance measurement with the WCO PMM indicators and processes. This was regarded as key to strengthen the work completed in the above areas, as well as ongoing work related to the implementation of Coordinated Border Management (CBM) and the ...

Dans un contexte international marqué par la complexité croissante des échanges, la digitalisation des procédures et des attentes renforcées en matière de transparence, la mesure de la performance est devenue un enjeu stratégique pour les administrations douanières. Pour Madagascar, pays ins...

Bien que ces premières expériences aient été encore hétérogènes, elles ont permis de poser les bases d’une réflexion plus large sur la gouvernance par la performance. Elles ont également mis en évidence plusieurs défis structurants : la fiabilité des données, l’absence de standardis...

Customs administrations generate a vast amount of data every single day. From declarations and controls to audits, seizures and facilitation programmes, our institutions are rich in operational information. For Greek Customs, as for many other Customs administrations, the primary challenge lies in t...

Greek Customs within the Independent Authority for Public Revenue The General Directorate of Customs & Excise Duties (Greek Customs) is a key pillar among the eleven General Directorates within the structure of the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (IAPR). IAPR’s mission is to safegua...

From 21st August to 10th October 2025, Akpevwe Attracta Ogboru travelled by motorbike from Lagos to Brussels to deepen her understanding of how borders operate and what travellers and traders, especially women, experience. In this article she explains her motivation and what she learned on the road...