The WCO organized an Online Pre-Accreditation Workshop for Customs Modernization Advisors specialized in Integrity Development (CMA-ID), held from 23 to 27 January 2023, for English-speaking participants. This workshop was conducted as part of the strategic approach of the WCO, aiming at expanding its pool of experts to promptly respond to the needs expressed by WCO Members on this essential subject.

The workshop was attended by twelve participants invited from all over the globe. Throughout the workshop, all participants worked intensively and demonstrated their knowledge, skills, techniques, and, most importantly, enthusiasm to contribute to the capacity building activities to be made by the WCO in the future. Successful participants at the workshop will be invited to the next stage of the WCO expert accreditation process, an in-field mission with a WCO lead expert.

At the opening ceremony, Mr.Ebenezer Gebding TAFILI, Deputy Director of the Capacity Building Directorate of WCO, warmly welcomed all participants. He expressed his willingness of the Secretariat to support Members’ experts in participating in WCO missions, which will positively impact the improvement of their skills and exchange of experience in the implementation of the Integrity tools.

It is important to highlight that this was the first such workshop held in the area of Integrity, and future events in this area are already being planned. The newly pre-accredited Experts will be included in the ACE Portal.  Each expert will be granted access to a personal page with edit authority (contact information, personal development, involvement with Secretariat, etc.). Each National Contact Point (NCP) also has access to a national page listing all the national Experts.  Regional Offices of Capacity Building (ROCBs) have access to regional aggregated statistics data. For further information on ACE Portal, please, e-mail ace@wcoomd.org.