In response to a request from the Customs Administrations of the South Asian region for capacity building to raise awareness of the WCO’s concept of post-clearance audit (PCA) as well as advice on how to overcome their challenges from the perspective of international standards and understand the scope of PCA and the infrastructure required, a virtual Sub-Regional Workshop on PCA was organized by the WCO in cooperation with the Asia/Pacific Regional Office for Capacity Building (ROCB A/P) from 4 to 7 July 2022, with the financial support of the Customs Cooperation Fund (CCF) Japan.

The development and improvement of the post-clearance audit system are among the key priorities for a number of Customs administrations in the region. This workshop was aimed at assisting administrations in the region in the use and implementation of the WCO PCA Guidelines and related tools. In total 125 experienced PCA officers from seven countries attended and benefited from this workshop.

In his opening remarks, Mr. Pranab Kumar Das, Director of the Compliance and Facilitation Directorate, acknowledged that the current rapid growth in international trade, owing to the expansion of the e-commerce industry across the globe, raises challenges for the Customs administration with its dual mission of trade facilitation and maintenance of trade order. He recognized post-clearance audit as one of the most important Customs tools for facilitating trade across the world while ensuring effective Customs control and compliance. He recommended that participants need to be aware of the importance of their role both in promoting trade facilitation in their country and in delivering effective compliance control.

During this three-day intensive workshop, participants demonstrated their excellent knowledge and skills through country presentations, practical case studies and question-and-answer sessions. In particular, participants shared common views on how to cooperate with traders who seek to maintain legitimate trade and how to facilitate their trade, while dealing strictly with traders who seek to deceive the State and gain illegally, and fighting against malicious practices. The workshop concluded successfully with positive feedback from the participants, who had gained confidence in implementing PCA more effectively.