On 27 October 2022 the WCO conducted its second regional consultation on WCO modernization, this time with the East and Southern Africa (ESA) region. Twelve Member administrations and the Regional Office for Capacity Building (ROCB) for ESA participated in this fully virtual consultation.
The ESA regional consultation was chaired jointly by the regional Vice-Chair, Mr. Batsirai Chadzingwa of Zimbabwe, and WCO Deputy Secretary General Mr. Ricardo Treviño Chapa. The discussions focused again on seven specific issues, identified from an initial diagnostic prepared by the Secretariat concerning the current internal situation of the Organization and potential improvements for moving towards overall WCO modernization.
The participants from the ESA region showed a keen interest in the matters presented and actively participated in the deliberations. They expressed their agreement with the diagnostic presented by the Secretariat, providing further input to refine its findings. In particular, they shared the view that a performance measurement culture was needed to enhance accountability and support proper decision-making. They also recognized the importance of bringing greater consistency to the management structure of the WCO Secretariat, projects and regional entities, in order to move the Organization forward from a ‘silo mentality’ to a cohesive whole, driven by the same processes and goals, in line with the WCO Strategic Plan.
In his concluding remarks, the Vice-Chair for the ESA region acknowledged the crucial importance of the work undertaken by the Secretariat in cooperation with Members, noting that the items under discussion were paramount for the WCO’s future. The Deputy Secretary General thanked the ESA region for a productive and enriching session and welcomed the many ideas put forward. He recalled that the quality of the regional consultation initiative undertaken by the Secretariat depended in large part on Members’ contributions and insight.
The WCO Modernization Plan is one of the key deliverables specified in the Strategic Plan 2022-2025 for responding to the needs identified in the Focus Area “Governance and accountability”. These regional consultations will be pursued, with the objective of presenting a Modernization Plan to the Policy Commission and Council in June 2023 for endorsement.