UK renews its commitment to WCO Capacity Building programme
London, Manchester, 28 February – 7 March 2011

As part of its renewed commitment to the WCO Capacity Building Programme, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the UK Border Agency (UKBA) made a number of experts available to attend an awareness workshop and a Customs Modernization Advisors accreditation workshop.
The workshops were held in London and Manchester, United Kingdom, during the weeks of February 28 and March 7, 2011. At the request of HMRC, the WCO first conducted a Capacity Building awareness workshop for potential technical and operational advisors with expertise in a broad range of Customs-related issues that are of priority to developing WCO members. This event served to expose potential UK Customs experts to the context in which they would provide support to Customs administrations in other regions of the World, and to acquaint themselves with the challenges and sustainable approaches to offering advice to ongoing Customs reform and modernization processes.
The WCO also organized an accreditation workshop for Customs Modernization Advisors. These advisors provide the strategic advice to Member administrations at the outset of the modernization process in terms of planning and securing support for reform. They represent a key element of the delivery of WCO capacity building support.
The UK has been a longstanding and active partner in delivering Customs capacity building in all regions of the World, and the WCO very much welcomes this renewed commitment.