A Virtual Workshop on Organizational Performance Measurement for the North of Africa, Near and Middle East (MENA) Region was successfully held from 31 May to 3 June 2021. It marks the accomplishment of a series of WCO Regional Workshops on the topic of Organizational Performance Measurement rolled out for the Europe, Asia/Pacific, Americas and the Caribbean, East and Southern Africa, and West and Central Africa Regions between September 2020 and February 2021.
This important activity, opened by the WCO Deputy Secretary General, Mr. Ricardo Treviño Chapa, brought together over 41 participants from 17 WCO Member administrations working either in the area of strategic planning and implementation or as field experts. Mr. Treviño Chapa drew participants’ attention to the WCO initiative to establish a WCO Performance Measurement Mechanism (PMM). He underlined the ambition of the PMM to be feasible and relevant for each national administration, providing a politically recognized, evidence-based and scored assessment that could be used to improve Customs performance and make an impact on the economic development and business environment at the national and international levels.
The Workshop participants were also welcomed by Mr. Jalal Qudah, Director General of Jordan Customs and Vice-Chair for the MENA Region. He expressed the Region’s appreciation and support for this initiative, aimed at fine-tuning the future WCO PMM and strengthening the capacity of the Region in terms of performance management. He also underscored the vital importance of implementing the future PMM in order to identify and tackle emerging challenges and ensure quality services, supply chain security and enhanced cooperation with stakeholders.
During this event, participants had an opportunity to exchange experiences and views on performance measurement, including its role in strategic decision-making, the development of key performance indicators (KPIs) and data collection. In addition, participants took part in the ongoing efforts to develop the PMM, providing positive feedback on its current design and contributing to its elaboration through group exercises.
Some of the lessons learnt included observing the different levels of maturity of Customs administrations in establishing a performance measurement system; the need to balance the functionality, legitimacy and rigour of the evaluation; and the need to ensure its sustainability by making the necessary changes and learning from them. The engagement by participants resulted in a successful Workshop and provided important insights that will contribute to the ongoing intersessional work carried out by the WGPM and help the WCO Secretariat fulfil its endeavour of developing this PMM for the benefit of its 183 Members.