From 2 to 6 October 2023, the World Customs Organization (WCO) organized a study visit to the Customs Committee (CC) of the Republic of Uzbekistan by a delegation from the Customs Administration of Serbia (CAS) under the SECO-WCO Global Trade Facilitation Programme (GTFP) framework, to exchange experiences and best practices on the Reform and Modernization of Customs.
The study visit included five Customs officials from the Serbian Administration and was also designed to enable peer-to-peer collaboration between the two GTFP beneficiary countries. The exchange of experiences focused on Human Resources (HR) reform, employee welfare, digitization, automation initiatives, and the sharing of best practices and challenges encountered during the implementation of trade facilitation measures.
During the study tour, the CAS delegation had the unique opportunity to explore the CC's recently inaugurated Targeting Center and CCTV Control Rooms, where they witnessed live demonstrations of various in-house-developed systems in operation, gaining invaluable insights into the Uzbekistan technological initiatives.
Additionally, the delegation learned about the organization of the training programmes and the Learning and Management System at the Customs Institute, where future officers are trained to work in Customs. At the Remote Clearance Centre, the CAS delegation observed the CC practice of real-time automatic assessment of individual performance based on a pre-defined set of indicators, which also prescribes the training necessary for the officer’s further development.
The CC's innovative efforts in enhancing the Customs working environment, the use of performance evaluation criteria and indicators for rewarding officers, and the subsequent impact on bonuses and developmental pathways offered a wealth of knowledge for CAS to consider as it progresses in its journey toward HR reform and modernization.
The WCO and the SECO-WCO Global Trade Facilitation Programme (GTFP) extend their deepest appreciation to the Customs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan for their valuable support and collaboration, which significantly contributed to the remarkable success of this knowledge-sharing initiative.
For more information on the GTFP, please contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org.