With the support of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the World Customs Organization (WCO) has successfully delivered an online Time Release Study (TRS) Workshop for the benefit of the Kyrgyz Republic Customs Administration. The virtual event was held from 18 to 19 October 2021, with the objective of preparing the Customs Administration to initiate a new TRS cycle.
During the opening of the Workshop, both the WCO and OSCE representatives highlighted the importance of this event, especially within this critical context of the COVID-19 pandemic with restrictions on travel and other constraints. They then urged the participants to actively contribute to the Workshop and be ready to conduct a TRS in the near future noting this is an important activity to measure the efficiency of Customs procedures. Further, it is key for the implementation of the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation (TFA), which includes, under Article 7.6, specific provisions to encourage the members to measure and publish their average release time. It is worth mentioning that the WCO TRS guide is a major tool that has been clearly highlighted in the WTO TFA.
The two-day event was facilitated by WCO Officials in charge of TRS, assisted by a WCO TRS Accredited Technical and Operational Adviser (TOA) from the Mauritius Revenue Authority. During the Workshop, the WCO experts provided the Kyrgyz Republic Customs officials with a number of presentations related to the WCO TRS, including a recapitulation on the TRS methodology and the use of the WCO TRS Software.
As the world is still battling the COVID-19 pandemic, the experts took the opportunity to inform the participants that the WCO has been urging Customs administrations worldwide to promote special measures such as social distancing, use of masks and hand sanitation during Customs’ activities, including when carrying out TRS related activities. It was therefore recommended to try a simplified TRS focusing mainly on Customs procedures instead of engaging, for the time being, a complete TRS with the involvement of Other Government Agencies (OGAs) as well as other stakeholders.
Furthermore, the Workshop allowed the WCO experts and the national Customs officials to share views in relation to Customs procedures in Kyrgyz Republic. At the end of the event, the participants expressed and gathered ideas for the next TRS cycle, which the Customs Administration of the Kyrgyz Republic is considering to start in the near future, with the support of the WCO.
For more information about TRS, please contact the WCO Secretariat on facilitation@wcoomd.org or capacity.building@wcoomd.org