The World Customs Organization (WCO), with the support of integrity experts from the Mauritius Revenue Authority and Turkey Customs Administration, has successfully delivered an integrity development workshop for the benefit of the State Customs Services of Turkmenistan. The workshop was held online over three days from 7 to 9 July 2021, with the participation of more than 30 Customs officers from various operational structures of headquarters and regional Customs offices. The mission was conducted with the financial and technical support of the WCO Regional Office Capacity Building for Europe region.
The objective of the mission was to support the Turkmenistan Customs in further improvement of integrity development strategies in Customs and meeting international commitments in the area of fighting corruption. The workshop participants were updated with the latest WCO tools and instruments on integrity and given highlights on the importance of implementing the WCO Revised Arusha Declaration on Good Governance and Integrity in Customs.
Customs officers discussed latest anti-corruption trends, explored psychological and behavioral insights in support of anti-corruption strategies, and outlined the importance of enhancing transparency measures and effectiveness of the internal control function, including co-operation and information exchange between Customs and national anti-corruption authorities. The training exercises also included activities on integrity self-assessment, managing conflicts of interest, corruption risk mapping and analysis.
The workshop participants separately stressed the role of the Revised Kyoto Convention in supporting anti-corruption strategies and enhancing efforts towards efficient and modern Customs procedures adapted to the international trade environment. Having entered into force on 3 May 2021, the RKC provisions have been actively taken up for implementation by the State Customs Service. It was particularly emphasized that the RKC key elements which include the application of simplified procedures in a predictable environment, the optimal use of information technology, the utilization of risk management for efficient control purposes, a strong collaboration with trade and other stakeholders, considerably contribute to the success of anti-corruption strategy. The WCO noted a significant progress of Turkmenistan in its efforts to adapt its procedures to international standards, which is exemplified by the country’s accession in June 2021 to the Customs Convention on Containers, 1972 and to the Convention on Customs Treatment of Pool Containers Used in International Transport (1994).
The WCO looks forward to continuing its cooperation with the Turkmenistan Customs to further strengthen its integrity agenda. For more information, please, contact: capacity.building@wcoomd.org, integrity@wcoomd.org.