As part of its Strategic Trade Controls Enforcement (STCE) Project, the WCO organized an unprecedented law enforcement operation to detect and prevent illicit trafficking of strategic goods in international supply chains. The operation, which went under the code name of ‘Cosmo’, brought toget...
Following the signature of two new grant agreements with the European Union and the US Department of State, new activities have been scheduled under Programme Global Shield (PGS) for the next three years (mid-2022 to mid-2025) for the benefit of all WCO Members.
Whereas, in the past, support used to be provided to specific countries and regions based on grant agreements, the activities to be rolled out up to mid-2025 are now open to all WCO Members. They include:
It is often said that where there is a will there’s a way, but the reverse can also be true: improving Customs administrations’ capacity to understand and implement regulations might influence their willingness to make commitments. By developing and disseminati...
When it comes to enforcing STCs, Customs is generally, although not always, the main agency involved at the border. Depending on the situation of a country, determining whether traders are compliant is a challenging task, especially for dual-use goods. As Renaud Chatelus explained in an article p...
Measuring the programme’s performance
The following data can be taken into account when trying to assess the impact of the programme:
Project TENTACLE, led by the WCO Secretariat and funded by the U.S. Department of State – Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (DoS INL) -, aims to raise awareness of money laundering activities and schemes in the Customs area, ...
Transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and terrorist organizations (TOs) perennially exploit Customs nodes for the movement and laundering of illicit money generated by their illegal activities. Customs, as the first line of defense at external borders and inland ports of entry, have a cruci...
The ambitious goal envisaged by the creators of the WCO COPES Project was to initiate a dialogue reflecting on the working methods used to combat fraud, from the identification of an offence to the storage of seized assets, including reporting, collecting and preserving evidence.
In additi...
Since its launch in 1985, the WCO Fellowship Programme has run a total series of 80 sessions, enabling 950 participants from 143 Customs administrations in developing countries to acquire sound knowledge on internationally recognized Customs techniques and practices, and to bolster their manag...
The Programme’s administrators have, over the years, sought to improve it by proposing a format that is more in tune with the concerns and needs of the target administrations. They have, in particular, focused on:
As part of the WCO Environment Programme, the WCO Secretariat is working to solidify the role of Customs in environmental matters. Customs administrations are regularly reminded of the importance of implementing the various environmental agreements in force, existing training material is updated ...
Illegal Wildlife Trade
A number of sub-Saharan African, Asian, and South American Customs administrations participating in the INAMA Project, which aims to enhance Customs’ capacity to counter wildlife trafficking by en...
The WCO COPES Programme aims to initiate a dialogue reflecting on the working methods used to combat fraud, from the identification of an offence to the storage of seized assets, including reporting, collecting and preserving evidence. It does not advocate a particular means of enforcing legislat...
It looks at five areas:
Under each of these areas, the following dimensions are examined:
Support requirements and procedures
To receive the support of the WCO Secretariat, Customs administrations should submit a written request. The Institutional Assessment Project can either be funded by the beneficiary admi...
In December 2021, the WCO Secretariat and the European Commission signed a partnership agreement establishing a programme on the implementation and application of rules of origin in Africa, commonly dubbed the EU-WCO Rules of Origin Africa Programme. This article p...
Supporting the AfCFTA Secretariat
In the inception phase, the focus of the RoO Africa Programme team has been on supporting the AfCFTA Secretariat and the AfCFTA Sub-Commi...
Customs administrations, due to the nature of their missions and to the fact that they are operating in an environment marked by complex interactions, have to constantly engage in modernization efforts. In other words, they need to regularly update and upgrade their operating models and working m...
Findings from WCO People Development Diagnostics
The WCO has been promoting a vision of Customs as a coherent professional body with unique operating models, and which consists of individuals who share specific and gradua...
Leadership competencies and skills oil the wheels of organizational progress and success. To support its Members in this field, the WCO has developed a Leadership and Management Development Programme. This article introduces the Maturity Model, one of the tools dev...
An assessment at four levels
The LMD Programme has developed a Maturity Model to support Customs administrations wishing to assess their level of maturity in implementing ...
Strategic advisory support and delivery
Strategic advisory support and delivery entail needs-assessments through diagnostic missions, the development of comprehensive strategic plans, the implementation of WCO standards, and the regular m...
The Customs Administration of Burkina Faso recently implemented two key measures to facilitate trade: the establishment of an Advance Ruling Mechanism on tariff classification, and the performance of Time Release Studies. Both of these measures are prescribed in the World Trade Organization’s (...
In implementing these two measures, Burkina Faso Customs benefited from WCO assistance in the areas of project management and stakeholder engagement. The WCO provided this support as part of its West African Customs Administrations Modernization (WACAM) Project, which is funded by the Swedish Gov...
WCO Mercator Programme
Since its launch in June 2014, the Mercator Programme has become the WCO’s flagship capacity building programme aimed at assisting Member administrations implement the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) in a u...
Human resource development (HRD)
WCO e-learning platform: CLiKC!
A new version of the CLiKC! learning platform dedicated to Customs officers has been launched. It provides user...
As the WCO is dedicating 2017 to encouraging the use of data analysis for more effective border management, I would like to share my own personal experience in this field, and explain how I was able to develop my data analysis skills thanks to the WCO’s support.
Data analysis is not mere...
With the entry into force of the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation (TFA), some governments face a renewed urgency to modernize and reform their Customs administrations over the next few years. Fortunately, one of the main priorities for the international donor community is to ensure the effecti...
Since 2015, Directors General of Customs and their executive teams have been able to participate in a ‘Top Executive Retreat,’ as a means of further strengthening their capacity in implementing change and in achieving organizational results. This article ex...
In January 2018, the Ghanaian government notified the WCO Secretariat that it had accepted seven Harmonized System (HS)-related WCO Council Recommendations, testimony to its strong commitment to implement objective, predictable and transparent classification pr...
At the time of the effective takeover in September 2015, a new facility that would subsequently be known as the Customs Technical Services Bureau was already in place at Customs Headquarters, and, within it, a National Classification Centre. There was also a pool of experienced officers to man th...
In March 2018, the Chinese government decided to integrate China’s entry-exit inspection and quarantine duties and workforce in 306 ports nationwide into China Customs. The former entry-exit inspection and quarantine officers then commenced working as Customs officers. This marked the birth of ...
All staff also undertook physical and team training based on military-style models. This included physical fitness training and behavioural training focusing on the importance of obedience to rules, teamwork and discipline. Senior officials also actively participated in this team training, which ...
Creating knowledge
A first-class academic institution cannot content itself with spreading knowledge through its programmes and teachings. It must go further by producing original and pertinent findings through research a...
The Serbia Customs Modernization Plan covering 2019 to 2023 recognized that the success of its implementation relies heavily on having qualified and professional Customs officials. It therefore provided for the development of a Human Resource Strategy to manage its human capital in a way that ali...
Demographics
After a 10-year career in various positions at Benin Customs, I felt the need to go and acquire some skills at the WCO in order to gain a better understanding of the rules and operation of the Organization and to fulfil my dream of working for an international organization, even if only for a few...
A golden opportunity
From a strictly professional perspective, I had had a number of responsibilities in my home administration and had held some important positions, but, before leaving, I had to brush up on a good many ...
Lack of transparency on cross-border procedures has been identified as one of the first “choke points” in global supply chains. To provide economic operators with easy access to Customs tariffs as well as a clear view of measures to be taken when importing or e...
The latest global multilateral trade agreement, the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) of the World Trade Organization (WTO), stipulates in its Article 1 (“Publication and availability of information”) that each WTO Member must promptly publish trade-related and Customs-related information i...
Studies have shown that the air mode has become a sought-after transport avenue for criminals wishing to move illicit wildlife products from one country to another. Not only is air transport fast and convenient, it also allows large consignments to be broken up into smaller ones, thereby reducing...
Questionnaire
In order to carry out the assessments, experts developed a model questionnaire that was tested during two assessments which took place in 2016. The model drew on existing tools dealing with similar issues,...
Introduction
The Horn of Africa refers to the easternmost extension of Africa, and for the purposes of this article, includes the region covered by Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Somaliland. This area has been ...
Earlier this year, the WCO and the Bahamas Customs and Excise Department (BCED) embarked on an exciting partnership to employ a new model for Customs capacity building and technical assistance. For the first time, a national multi-year WCO Mercator Programme Implementation Plan has been combined ...
Under the Mercator Programme, capacity building is provided on the basis of a comprehensive needs assessment and development plan. Once gaps related to meeting the commitments under the TFA have been identified, multi-year action plans are developed to serve as roadmaps and mechanisms by which pr...
In December 2020, Uzbekistan acceded to the International Convention on the Simplification and Harmonization of Customs Procedures (Revised Kyoto Convention). This article describes the impact of the Convention on the Customs reform process and introduces the work ...
In 2015, while drafting the new Customs code, Uzbek Customs had conducted a gap analysis with the help of WCO Secretariat experts to assess the level of compliance of the national legislation and regulatory frameworks with the Convention’s standards. All RKC provisions were compared to the nati...
Launched in 2013, the Gender Equality Organizational Assessment Tool
In the coming months the Project will also focus on:
In cooperation with the WCO, the Gambia Revenue Authority has embarked on a journey to modernize its human resource management capacity, which will enable it to become one of the country’s best employers, as well as a better service delivery institution.
The Southern African Customs Union (SACU) consists of five Member States – Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and South Africa – with a combined population of over 63 million people and a combined GDP in excess of 300 billion US dollars. It is the oldest functioning Customs Union in the wor...
In order to promote uniform classification of goods within the Customs Union and contribute to the overall management of the CET, the SACU Secretariat has in recent years been working with the WCO Secretariat as part of a specific capacity building programme funded by the European Union (EU): the...
Leadership development programmes are crucial to the lasting success of every organization. To support its Members in this field, the WCO has developed a Leadership and Management Development Programme. In this article, the Commissioner of Uganda Customs shares his...
Actioning knowledge gained back home
When I returned to Uganda, I recall the first action I took was to rally my team in order to go through the “visioning” process that I had been introduced to. Together, we began to...
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a major shift in how we work, live and engage with each other – both on a personal and a professional level. After the initial shockwave, and following an adjustment period, we now find ourselves in a situation that is commonly referred to as ‘the new normal...
The context: providing support despite COVID-19 travel constraints
Capacity building and technical assistance-related activities have traditionally primarily been delivered face-to-face. When it became evident that travel restrictions wer...
The Oceania Customs Organisation (OCO) has 23 members made up of independent countries and self-governing territories in the Pacific region. Established in 1986, its mandate is to support Customs administrations in their endeavour to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of their work, in orde...
OCO support
To support its members, the OCO organizes training events and holds various forums to foster the exchange of information and promote networking. When it comes to training, the OCO has identified a need not onl...
Sunday morning, Christmas Day 2022. It is around 11 a.m. and my phone beeps. A message from Naomi, wishing me a Merry Christmas, just like every year since 2014. Warm memories come back to my mind as I reply to her with my Christmas wishes for her and her loved ones.
I met Naomi in 2013 at...
Let’s go back to Mauritius and to Naomi. She was quiet in the first few days of the LMD workshop, and she seemed somewhat uncomfortable in the group. She never took the floor on her own initiative. When she was invited to do so, she was gentle and soft-spoken. But her remarks were spot-on. We a...
In light of the spate of terror attacks in various regions around the world, on 10 December 2015, the WCO Policy Commission issued the Punta Cana Resolution, which emphasizes the key role that Customs administrations play in tackling illicit cross-border movements of goods that could ultimately s...
WCO Asia Pacific Security Project in action
Thanks to financial support from the Government of Japan, a specific project was developed for Customs administrations in South East Asia and the Pacific Islands to strengthen their capacity in ...
In 2019, after being weakened to a point which compromised its efficiency, the South African Revenue Service (SARS) started rebuilding itself. Developing leadership skills was seen as integral to this process. This article explains how SARS has prioritized leadersh...
In 2019, after my appointment as Commissioner, the rebuilding of SARS commenced in earnest, focusing on restoring governance and integrity, as well as the capability to effectively collect revenue, improve compliance and facilitate legitimate trade. Impact On 3 April 2023, SARS announced the results of its work over the past four years. Encouraging positive trends include:
The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) Strategy for 2021 to 2025 has people as one of its key pillars, demonstrating the Administration’s commitment to investing in staff development. Leadership is one of the topics for which competency building has been sought. ...
In addition to these aspects, during the six-month training period participants also worked on actual projects, in teams of three, to enable them to put into practice the methods and concepts they had learned. On 10 March 2022, a graduation ceremony was organized to recognize their commitment and...
During a natural catastrophe or epidemic, it is essential for Customs administrations to facilitate or even speed up the delivery of relief consignments to victims, thereby helping to reduce the number of possible deaths. In fact, it would be unacceptable should this number increase as a result o...
