Dear colleagues and friends,

It gives me great pleasure to invite you to browse these pages dedicated to the WCO Capacity Building Directorate and learn more about what we do and where we can assist you. As the name of the Directorate indicates our role is to provide capacity building as defined by the WCO as; “All Members of the WCO having the capability to;

• Influence, construct and manage policies which meet national requirements, regional and international obligations; and
• Implement and sustain the appropriate operational policy, support systems and procedures to meet these obligations.”

Capacity building provides at the same time a measurable improvement in organizational ability to maintain focus and determine the best ways to deliver the administrations vision and mission through a blend of sound management, strong governance, and dedication to assessing and achieving results.

We work under the capacity building core principles of;

Political will – Customs administrations must secure as much support from policy-makers as possible. Sustainable reform and modernization can only survive in time with continued support from all political echelons;

Ownership and commitment – Customs administrations should own and take charge of their reform and modernization process. They should be able to engage partners with a clear vision of where they wish to take their organization, how to get there, and how partners can assist;

Holistic development – Capacity building should address technical, operational and strategic elements of the organization. The reform and modernization process should begin with a strategic diagnostic and subsequently take a holistic approach to ensure all interdependencies are addressed, particularly with regard to human resource development and management;

Demand driven and responsive – The capacity building support offered to Customs administrations should respond to the real needs and assist in overcoming obstacles on the reform and modernization roadmap; and

Partnerships – The relationship between providers of capacity building support and beneficiaries is based on dialogue, exchange and mutual understanding. Members should also engage all key private and public sector stakeholders, as well as the donor community, in their reform.

The new and innovative virtual WCO capacity building delivery approach, in response to the current COVID-19 pandemic,  with national and regional remote online activities such as meetings and conferences, delivery of workshops and webinars, virtual training events, conducting diagnostic studies, and piloting remote accreditation events etc. can now be considered as the “new norm”, particularly whilst the global pandemic persists.

Yours sincerely
Taeil Kang
Director Capacity Building Directorate