From 29-April to 3-May 2019, two WCO Mercator Programme Advisors (MPAs) successfully facilitated a workshop on Review and Appeals at The Bahamas Customs and Excise Department (BCED), in Nassau, The Bahamas. This mission was delivered as part of the agreement signed between the WCO and BCED in March 2018 to provide technical assistance and capacity building support as part of a multi-faceted organizational development and training program.

This specific activity aimed to reduce disputes (both review and appeal of decisions) and provide a transparent, simplified and consistent review and appeals process at the BCED.  Nineteen (19) officers were trained on the review and appeal requirements of the Trade Facilitation Act, Article 4, and the Revised Kyoto Convention provisions covering these. As a result of the training, the group recommended that BCED adhere to a more robust review and appeals process, to include both trade matters and penalties. In addition, the BCED working group developed an internal and external communications strategy to facilitate the implementation of the new process, with a specific focus on assuring a smooth transition and good change management. The MPAs also provided guidance on executive briefing skills and enhancing other BCED goals in the human resources development area.

Following the review and appeals workshop, the WCO performed a mid-agreement assessment at the Comptroller’s request from 6-10 May 2019, to assess the progress on the WCO’s recommendations to facilitate BCED’s implementation of the Trade Facilitation Act provisions based on the March 2018 implementation plan and May 2018 logical framework. During this week, the two WCO experts met with the BECD officials responsible for implementing each recommendation, as well as with public sector representatives, BECD members of the World Trade Organization accession team, and the Comptroller and her executive team, to ascertain and assess the progress made in each of the twenty (20) areas of technical assistance.  This work resulted in a clear picture of the areas that still need enhancement, and provided a roadmap of where resources need to be further dedicated, to best ensure that BCED is well positioned when The Bahamas submits its accession package to the WTO.

For further information, please contact the Capacity Building Directorate: Capacity.Building@wcoomd.org