Developed as part of the Customs Operational Practices for Enforcement and Seizures (COPES) Programme, the World Customs Organization’s CECAC (Customs Enforcement Curriculum for Assistant Collectors) Project is aimed at helping Pakistan Customs to improve the level of training of its future senior managers on combating serious crime and on security, to prepare them to address the challenges they will have to face when they first take up their positions.

From 13 to 21 September 2021, experts from the COPES Programme carried out an on-site institutional assessment of Pakistan Customs. This mission comprised an initial phase in Islamabad, mainly at the Directorate General of Customs, and a second phase in Karachi, both at the units based within the port and airport infrastructure and at its Customs school.

This assessment mission provided the opportunity to implement a newly created assessment tool using maturity models, which had been presented at the most recent Enforcement Committee meeting. The assessment process is split into three stages: self-assessment, on-site assessment by experts and the issuing of a report with recommendations. This mission therefore meant that the information previously collected could be consolidated, and the roadmap for the next stages of the CECAC Project could be developed, in cooperation with Pakistan Customs.

The opening address was given by Mr. Syed Muhammad Tariq Huda, Board Member (Customs Operations) of the Pakistan Customs Administration, who expressed his gratitude to the WCO and the Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) of the US Department of State (US DoS) for their efforts in implementing the CECAC Project. The INL donor then took the floor to encourage Pakistan to continue with the modernization efforts it had been undertaking for several years. The WCO team thanked Pakistan Customs and the donor for the very constructive partnership that had been developed under this project. This mission was successfully completed with the presentation to the beneficiary of the initial conclusions of the assessment. A detailed report will be drawn up on these conclusions, including the maturity models, recommendations and a proposed work plan.

The WCO would like to offer its heartfelt thanks to Pakistan Customs for their welcome and their cooperation and to the US DoS INL for its financial support and expertise on the ground.

For more information on the COPES Programme and CECAC Project, please contact COPES@wcoomd.org.