Strategic support for UAE Customs on its way

Dubai, 29-30 August 2012

The first stage of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) three stage approach to updating their strategic planning took place at a workshop in Dubai on 29-30 August. The approach is entirely self-funded by the UAE.

The strategic planning priority is directly linked to a request for the WCO to undertake a Phase 3 progress evaluation. A WCO Diagnostic Mission was conducted in the UAE in November 2007, when a wide range of recommendations were made to the UAE Federal Customs Authority and the seven Customs administrations of the respective Emirates.

The three stage approach prepared by the Head of the Federal Customs Authority (FCA) and the WCO outlines:

(i) facilitating a planning workshop for senior managers of each Customs Emirate administration and representatives of the FCA;

(ii) conducting in-country Phase 3 progress evaluation; and

(iii) Discussing Phase 3 report recommendations and implementation in detail with senior managers of each Emirate administration and the FCA in order to feed in to updated strategic plans.

The group of some 20 senior managers participating in the planning workshop represented a broad-range of Customs experience. The workshop clarified the Phase 3 process, reviewed a number of existing documents and the group produced a detailed schedule for the in-country progress evaluation scheduled for November 2012.