At the request of the Solomon Islands Customs and Excise Division (SICED), which is a part of the SI Ministry of Treasury and Finance, the WCO, with funding support from the Customs Cooperation Fund (CCF) Japan, conducted a diagnostic stock-taking support mission in Honiara, Solomon Islands, from 5 to 15 February 2024.

The mission focused on SICED’s overall reform and modernization agenda, particularly the Customs’ contribution to the implementation of effective trade facilitation measures in line with international standards and best practices, such as the WCO Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). 

The activity was conducted under the framework of the WCO Mercator Programme. It included discussions with the Comptroller of Customs, the senior management team and relevant Section and Unit Heads, the National Committee for Trade Facilitation Chair, and relevant representatives from the public sector and the Solomon Islands business community.   

Through active engagement with all stakeholders, the WCO team was able to make a comprehensive stock-taking assessment of the situation within SICED and the Customs administration regarding the effective implementation of trade facilitation measures, highlighting areas where good progress had already been achieved and identifying areas that may require further capacity building and technical assistance support.

In collaboration, a multi-year (MY) Mercator Implementation Plan was developed, containing recommendations, activities and key performance indicators that will now form the basis for future actions. The Mercator Implementation Plan will also facilitate enhanced engagement with government partner agencies and private sector stakeholders involved in trade facilitation reforms.

SICED and the WCO team also worked together and conducted a Mercator Maturity Model assessment that provides an essential baseline against which future TFA implementation progress or maturity can be effectively measured and reported.

For more information, please contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org.