From 22-26 February, the WCO Anti-Corruption & Integrity Promotion (A-CIP) Programme organised another virtual training workshop on Stakeholder Engagement, this time in response to needs expressed by the ECC. Back in June 2019, during A-CIP’s first activity in Ethiopia, Customs officials identified the need to focus on their relationship with the private sector in order to fight corruption and promote integrity.

The WCO A-CIP Programme thus organised a week long virtual training workshop where key ECC officials from Strategic Partnership, Customer Support and Education, Manufacturers and Export Procedures and Support, Stakeholders and Private Sector Partnership Business Process and International Cooperation and Partnership, have had the opportunity to share views and perspectives on the benefits and challenges pertaining to stakeholder engagement.

Discussions were largely based on the Relationship with the Private Sector key factor of the WCO Revised Arusha Declaration and facilitated by an expert from Netherlands Customs.

ECC officials acknowledged the importance of creating conducive and constructive climate for stakeholder engagement.  The engagement aims at facilitating trade, ensuring compliance and fighting corruption and promoting integrity.  Moreover, ECC’s commitment to consolidate a productive, respectful and trustful relationship with their stakeholders and, in particular the private sector, is documented in its strategic plan. In addition, the results of the Customs Integrity Perception Survey (CIPS) were also discussed. In this regard, ECC acknowledged that more work is required to address some perceptions.

For more information, please contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org