At the invitation of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the World Customs Organization (WCO) participated in the thirteenth session of the Implementation Review Group of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, held in Vienna, Austria, from 5 to 8 September 2022.
Throughout the meeting, numerous high-level government officials representing United Nations Member States made interventions on the various work and initiatives of their respective states to achieve commitments laid out in the various sessions of the UN General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) against corruption, including political declaration on preventive measures, criminalization and law enforcement, and asset recovery.
During the meeting, the WCO shared with the participants its primary work, efforts and engagement in combatting or eradicating corruption and other forms of lack of integrity in Customs. These include, among others, developing instruments and tools which directly or indirectly promote integrity in Customs; providing technical assistance and capacity building based on Customs’ specific needs; strengthening communication, cooperation and coordination between the WCO and other International Organizations, and between the WCO and International development partners active in the area of integrity promotion, including the Donor Community and the Private Sector.
Furthermore, the WCO listed some of its most important instruments and tools designed to prevent and combat the lack of integrity in the Customs environment. The Revised Arusha Declaration was presented as one of the major WCO instruments created to promote integrity in Customs. The WCO highlighted that the Revised Arusha Declaration draws on the experiences of its Members and provides a practical approach to anti-corruption policies and practices.
The WCO concluded by reiterating that it is essential that the organization continues to work with Customs Administrations, other international organizations and relevant stakeholders in combating corruption and any other forms of lack of integrity in Customs.
For more information, please, contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org.