The WCO, in cooperation with Vietnam Customs and the ROCB A/P, organized a regional workshop on Human Resource Development (HRD) from 24 to 27 April 2018 in Hanoi, Vietnam under the sponsorship of the Korea Customs Cooperation Fund (CCF/Korea). Thirty-six (36) representatives from twenty-five (25) Member administrations, including the host administration, and 3 resource persons from the WCO Secretariat and the ROCB A/P took part in this workshop.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Dao Duc Hai, Director of International Cooperation Division of the Vietnam Customs, stressed the importance of fostering the professionalism of Customs officials with a view to properly addressing the ever-changing business environment and Customs duties.

During the course of the workshop, the participants discussed the WCO guidelines and tools related to the HRD and professionalism, including the WCO Framework of Principles and Practices on Customs Professionalism, PICARD Professional Standards, WCO People Development Diagnostic Tool, Human Resource Management Guide and Train-the-Trainer Package. The workshop provided a platform for sharing experiences on implementing and applying available WCO tools and instruments as well as adapting to a changing environment, including the use of advanced technology. The participants held in-depth discussions to identify key HRD challenges in the region and the possible way forward through regional cooperation. They re-affirmed their commitment to continue effective dialogue and share experiences to further optimize their respective HRD policy and training management.

The participants also had an opportunity to visit the newly built Customs Training School in Hanoi. Mr. Nguyen Dinh Phien, Director of the Customs Training School, warmly welcomed the workshop participants indicating that he wished to establish and maintain cooperative ties with other national training centres in the region.