Workshop on the development of an Integrity Action Plan and Strategy
October 2009
In October 2009 an officer from the WCO Capacity Building Directorate went to Costa Rica at the request of the Director General of Customs to develop a comprehensive Integrity Action Plan and Strategy. The workshop that lasted 4 days was attended by 20 people from all provinces of the country. After an encounter with the private sector and a briefing session on the WCO integrity tools and international best practices, the participants carried out a self-assessment of the integrity situation of their Customs Administration. This self-assessment allowed for the development of an Integrity action plan which identified short, middle and long terms objectives. This action plan was approved by the authority in charge of Public Ethics. One of the priorities identified by the participants was the development of a Code of Ethics for Customs. This project is underway and a Customs Code of Ethics should be released in February 2010.