As part of its capacity building strategy and under the sponsorship of the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA) of Saudi Arabia, the WCO organized a Regional Pre‑Accreditation Workshop for Arabic-speaking experts on Harmonized System from Middle East and North Africa (MENA), in which twelve Customs Officials from the Region took part. The workshop was conducted from 5 to 9 June 2022 and was hosted by ZATCA in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Representatives from Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia and United Arab Emirates demonstrated their competencies as expert trainers on the Harmonized System and were evaluated by three experts from the WCO’s Tariff and Trade Affairs Directorate and Capacity Building Directorate.
The participants that successfully completed the pre-accreditation Workshop will be invited to the next stage of the WCO expert accreditation process, including missions in the field as a pre-qualified WCO experts in the area of HS. Fully accredited experts will be expected to support future WCO capacity building activities.
The workshop was an important achievement for the implementation of the WCO’s capacity building strategy as it will increase the team of experts capable of independently leading training and technical assistance activities, on behalf of the WCO, mainly for the MENA Region.
It was also an excellent opportunity for participants to improve their experience and update their knowledge of the WCO instruments and tools for the benefit of their Customs administrations. The WCO recognizes the contribution of the participants and is grateful to the Directors-General for their willingness to contribute to the capacity building efforts in the MENA Region.
The WCO is thankful to Zakat, Saudi Tax and Customs Authority for its sponsorship and for its commitment to the WCO’s capacity building in the Region and for its full support in the organization and realization of the workshop.