The WCO in cooperation with Sri Lanka Customs organized a Risk Management/Assessment Workshop in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 8 to 12 December 2014. 46 participants from both Headquarters and from field-level offices attended the meeting.

In their opening remarks, Mr. Jagath Wijeweera, Director General of Sri Lanka Customs, as well as the WCO representatives, highlighted the importance of adopting a holistic approach to implementing risk management. They also emphasized the relationships between risk-based selectivity and effective resource allocation, facilitation and controls.

While risk management at organizational level was covered during the first day of the Workshop, risk management at operational level (i.e. risk assessment, profiling and targeting, including information and intelligence) was the focus of the following days programme which included syndicate group work , practical exercises, case studies and related short videos. Each session was followed by questions and answers.

During these 5 days, participants could discuss how to identify and address risks as well as how to develop an effective profile by using the methodology explained in the WCO Customs Risk Management Compendium. Case studies and practical exercises also contributed to their further understanding of the various topics.