On 9th March 2021, the WCO and Global Affairs Canada signed an agreement to inject approximately EUR 2.5m (CAD 3,496,777) to support the addition of 8 WCO Members from the Americas region to the WCO Anti-Corruption and Integrity Promotion (A-CIP) Programme for Customs.
Canada’s generous contribution recognises the A-CIP Programme’s success and achievements so far with the 17 WCO Members who are already part of the Programme under funding from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad). This additional funding will expand and sustain Programme activities to the Americas for the next three years.
“I am delighted that Canada has acknowledged the WCO’s work with its Members under the A-CIP Programme. Canada’s support will add to that of Norway and enable the Programme to reach the Americas region,” said WCO Secretary General Dr. Kunio Mikuriya. He added that “helping Members learn from each other’s experiences is key to the WCO’s capacity building strategy with regards to integrity and the expansion of this Programme will certainly enrich the collection of experiences from WCO Members taking concrete steps to combat corruption and foster good governance in Customs”.
Launched in January 2019, A-CIP is the WCO’s flagship programme assisting Members in their own efforts to combat corruption. The Programme does this through: improved capacity and utilization of performance measurement and collective action, as well as the implementation of specific Customs modernization efforts that combat corruption and promote integrity in line with the WCO Revised Arusha Declaration.
For more than two decades, the WCO has played an active and key role in addressing the complex problem of corruption in public service and more specifically in Customs. The WCO emphasizes the fight against corruption, the safeguarding of integrity and the enhancement of good governance measures. The A-CIP Programme galvanizes activity in this area and leads specific efforts to improve governance and integrity in Customs.
For more information about the A-CIP Programme, please visit the WCO A-CIP Programme page, or contact capacitybuilding@wcoomd.org.