At the request of Belgian Customs, 30 French-speaking Customs trainees from countries of the West and Central Africa Region as well as from Djibouti and the Comoros, training at the Belgian Customs School, visited the WCO Secretariat on 27 and 28 November 2017.

The trainees attentively followed the presentations made by WCO Secretariat officials, covering the following topics:

• Presentation of the WCO and its Strategic Plan;
• Facilitation of Customs procedures and the provisions of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Trade Facilitation (TFA);
• The WCO Capacity Building Programme and challenges, particularly in Africa;
• The Revenue Package;
• Customs in the 21st Century;
• Enforcement and supply chain security;
• The E-Learning Programme and career development;
• The Leadership and Management Development Programme;
• The role and responsibilities of the trainees after they return from their training.

The trainees were also given a tour of the WCO building.

At the end of their visit the trainees, together with their guides from Belgian Customs, expressed their thanks and appreciation to the WCO Secretariat for its welcome, the well-planned visit and the quality of the presentations and ensuing discussions, which had given them a clear idea of the organization, role and missions of the WCO.