WCO Members of the Virtual Working Group (VWG) on Gender Equality & Diversity gathered through an online meeting on the 16th of July to discuss the links between gender equality, diversity and integrity.
The meeting, jointly organized with the WCO Anti-Corruption & Integrity Promotion (A-CIP) Programme, provided an opportunity for representatives from 14 Customs administrations (Brazil, Ghana, Iceland, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kazakhstan, Liberia, the Maldives, Mexico, Mozambique, Thailand, Tunisia and Zambia) to exchange ideas on how Customs can integrate a gender perspective in their fight against corruption. Prior to the meeting, VWG Members had been invited to provide feedback on how gender equality and diversity could be linked to the ten key factors of the Revised Arusha Declaration, the WCO’s main policy document promoting integrity and good governance in Customs.
Building on a previous meeting held last year on a similar topic “Exploring the links between gender & integrity in Customs”, participants also explored various assumptions and misperceptions around gender and integrity by providing concrete examples drawn from their experiences. It was concluded that rather than being a question of gender, corruptive behavior is a question of personal attitudes and exposure. It was also noted that women and men experience, perceive and are affected by corruption in different ways, which needs to be taken into consideration when designing efficient integrity strategies. Finally, it was also concluded that improving gender equality and inclusiveness overall can have a positive impact also on preventing corruption.
For more information, please contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org