The first meeting of the technical assistance on Risk Management (RM) to be provided to the Customs Administration of Bolivia, within the framework of the SECO-WCO Global Trade Facilitation Programme (GTFP), took place on 19 May, counting with 25 participants from the national control unit, who leads on risk management at the national level, the six regional managers and advisors, as well as the GTFP National Project Manager.

Due to the current travel restrictions in light of the public health crisis, this meeting was held remotely by videoconference and consisted of an initial presentation of the GTFP and its background, the explanation of the methodology to be followed throughout the assistance and the adaptation that had to be done in order to provide remote support. The work to be carried out by the WCO Experts follows up on the recommendations provided by the mission from the IMF on RM, and aims at strengthening Bolivia´s capacities to develop a national risk management strategy and respective risk matrixes.

The remote assistance will carry on over the weeks comprising 18-29 May. The WCO Experts will give continuity to the technical part of the assistance, interviewing the different areas working on RM and conducting six theoretical sessions of 2 hours each. As soon as the state of world affairs normalizes and travel is reinstated, the Experts will initiate the practical part of the RM assistance.  

As a fully-fledged beneficiary of the Programme, Bolivia will receive WCO’s capacity-building support over the next three years to develop a RM strategy in line with international standards and best practices, based on the WCO Risk Management Compendium. With this intervention, the GTFP expects to support the Bolivian Customs in enhancing trade facilitation by creating conditions for a more efficient risk management system and improving cooperation in border controls.  

The GTFP expresses its gratitude to the WCO Accredited Experts supporting the Programme during this particularly difficult period and recognizes their continued commitment to find new innovative ways to provide technical assistance, in order to mitigate the negative impact of the pandemic in the implementation of the national Work Plan with Bolivia. The Programme also sends a note of appreciation to the Customs Administrations for allowing their Experts to provide this support.

For more information on the GTFP please contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org