Under the auspices of the WCO/JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) Joint Project, the World Customs Organization (WCO) held the third Working Group activity (WG3) of the Master Trainer Programme (MTP) on Risk Management for Customs administrations in Central Asia and the Caucasus. This event was hosted by the Revenue Service Ministry of Finance of Georgia from 14 to 18 April 2025 in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Fourteen (14) working group members, nominated by eight Customs administrations in Central Asia and the Caucasus, namely Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, gathered for WG3, acquired knowledge on risk management and delivered individual presentations as practical exercises for giving effective training as trainers. The opening ceremony was attended by Mr. Samson Uridia, the Head of the International Relations Department of Revenue Service of Ministry of Finance of Georgia and Mr. Junji Wakui, Resident Representative of JICA Georgia office. They expressed strong expectations for WG3’s contribution to the development of the Middle Corridor / Trans-Caspian International Transport Route, where strong risk management is crucial to handle the new transportation and logistics procedures effectively.

The main objective of WG3 was to develop training materials on risk management for the region. During the week-long program, each working group member delivered an individual presentation, which had been prepared in advance by using effective presentation techniques learned in former WGs to introduce case studies and best practices from their Customs administrations with the aim of enhancing their understanding of risk management principles.  

The working group members also discussed particular topics on risk management which were passenger and postal controls aimed by WCO accredited experts from Japan Customs. This discussion would serve to tackle evolving challenges of cross-border trade and travel along the Middle Corridor / Trans-Caspian International Transport Route.

At the conclusion of WG3, working group members agreed on a work plan on the way forward. It was agreed that draft of training materials should be finalized by the fourth WG, which is tentatively scheduled in November 2025. In the interim period, working group members will engage in intersessional activities, including maintaining and improving their own knowledge, reporting on the development of the training materials, with the continued participation of WCO accredited experts from Japan Customs.

The MTP aims to develop self-sustainable and autonomous training capacity by creating a pool of experienced trainers and developing regional training materials for these trainers. To achieve that objective, the nominated MTP working group members participate in five progressive WG and intersessional activities over two or three years. Upon the completion of the MTP, the Master Trainers (MTs) are expected to deliver training programmes for Customs administrations in their respective countries and other WCO Members of their region. To date, 210 MTs in African countries and the Pacific Islands have been trained 58,000 people, making the MTs assets of the entire Customs community.

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