Under the framework of the Finland East and Southern Africa (ESA) Programme II, the WCO successfully delivered a regional pilot workshop on the 23rd of May to 1st of June at the Regional Training Centre (RTC) in Pretoria, South Africa. The aim of this regional pilot workshop was to test and finalize the development of a training package on how to advance gender equality in customs administrations.

This training package aims at supporting customs administrations in implementing gender mainstreaming while addressing the links between gender equality, customs reform and modernization. Although it primarily targets the ESA region, it is WCO’s intention that the material will be made available to all Members once fully developed. The training package will include two tracks; a one week training targeting middle- and senior managers focusing on human resource management and gender mainstreaming; and a broader e-learning module focusing on raising general awareness on gender equality, targeting all Customs officers.  The e-learning module is expected to be available in the CLiKC! Platform sometime by the end of 2018.   

Through discussions and practical exercises, this regional pilot workshop allowed the WCO to test and update the training material with the active contribution from participants from eight countries (Mauritius, Malawi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Uganda and Zimbabwe). The workshop was made possible thanks to the generous funding by the Government of Finland through the ESA programme II, as part of its support to organizational development.

The workshop allowed participants to strengthen their knowledge on gender equality, its links to good governance and organizational performance. The importance of monitoring and evaluation was also addressed, as an essential part to ensure sustainable implementation of gender responsive policies.  In this regard, the participants were guided through the Gender Equality Organizational Assessment Tool (GEOAT), introduced by the WCO in 2013, and which helps administrations to assess their own policies and practices from a gender equality perspective.  For the WCO, this regional pilot workshop constitutes an important milestone, as it is the first time the WCO developed a complete training package focusing on gender equality in Customs. The WCO looks forward to continue working with its Members on this important topic through the WCO Virtual Working group on Gender Equality and Diversity.