19 representatives from 10 Customs administrations in the MENA Region participated in the WCO Regional Workshop on Risk-based Passenger Selectivity from 30 May to 2 June 2016.

The Workshop was held at the WCO Regional Training Centre in Amman, Jordan, and was organized in cooperation with Jordan Customs, with the sponsorship of the Japanese Customs Cooperation Fund (CCF).

This 4-day workshop covered the main elements of organizational risk management with a particular focus on risk-based passenger selectivity. Participants examined the elements of risk assessment, profiling and targeting, together with use of information and intelligence.

Several elements of risk management at the organizational level were covered throughout the workshop, although the main focus was risk management at the operational level (risk assessment, profiling and targeting). Verbal and non-verbal risk assessment methodologies and techniques were emphasized through many group tasks, practical exercises and role- plays.

During the group tasks and country presentations, participants entered into in-depth discussions on how to identify high-risk passengers by utilizing questioning techniques, behavior analysis and systematic search as explained in the WCO Customs Risk Management Compendium. Case studies and country presentations also contributed to deepening an understanding of the topics.