The WCO organized a regional workshop for the East and Southern Africa region on Gender equality. It was hosted by the Lesotho Revenue Authority in Maseru, Lesotho from April 8 to 11, 2014.
The workshop, jointly funded by the World Bank and the Finnish Government, brought together 18 senior managers from 12 Customs and Revenue Administrations of the region. It focused on raising the understanding of participants on the contents and methodology proposed in the WCO Gender Equality Organizational Assessment Tool.
The WCO Gender Equality Organizational Assessment Tool is meant to assist WCO Members in conducting an evaluation of the current situation in their organization on various issues and policies related to gender equality and diversity. The tool contains 5 key principles and a vast number of indicators that serve to guide administrations in determining their capacity to address gender-related matters. It examines policies related to human resources management such as recruitment and career development, as well as discrimination and the conditions for creating a bias-free work environment.
The five key areas examined by the organizational assessment tool are:
- Employment and Compensation
- Work-life Balance and Career Development
- Health, Safety, and Freedom from Violence
- Governance and Leadership
- Customs Administration and Stakeholder Relations
This evaluation tool was recently endorsed by Members at the 5th session of the WCO Capacity Building Committee. The WCO has invested in this area in an effort to raise awareness among its Members for the value of gender equality and its important contribution to enhancing organizational performance. It will hopefully encourage Member Administrations to conduct their own assessment and subsequently implement changes in policies and practices to make their organization more gender equitable.
Further information on the Gender equality tool and other capacity building programmes may be obtained by contacting Capacity.Building@wcoomd.org.