The WCO, in cooperation with Azerbaijan Customs, organized a Risk Management/Assessment Workshop in Baku, Azerbaijan from 24 to 26 February 2015. The workshop was attended by 20 Customs officers from Headquarters and field-level offices.
In their opening remarks, Mr. Guloglan Muradlı, Chief of Enforcement Head Department, and Mr. Faiq Seyidov, Chief of Audit and Risk Analysis Department, as well as the WCO representatives, highlighted the importance of adopting a holistic approach to risk management. They also emphasized the relationships between risk-based selectivity and effective resource allocation, facilitation and controls.
Risk management at the organizational level was covered during the first day of the workshop; risk management at the operational level (i.e. risk assessment, profiling and targeting, including information and intelligence) was covered on the subsequent days which included syndicate group work, practical exercises, case studies and related short videos. Each session was followed by a "questions and answers" session.
During the workshop, participants discussed how to identify and address risks as well as how to develop an effective profile by using the methodology explained in the WCO Customs Risk Management Compendium. Case studies and practical exercises also contributed to their further understanding of the various topics.