Following the inaugural conference of the Next Generation Network (NGN) of Tunisian Customs last March, the WCO Anti-Corruption and Integrity Promotion (A-CIP) Programme conducted a workshop from October 25 to 28 to support and develop this initiative. The A-CIP Programme supports Tunisia, a beneficiary administration since 2019, in its fight against corruption through the implementation of this cross-cutting and innovative component.

Over the course of the workshop, about twenty Tunisian customs officers from various departments (risk management, statistics and IT, recruitment and training, security, health, National Customs School, regional offices) and all involved in the design and implementation of the NGN worked to strengthen the foundations of the project and design the next steps of its development. Discussions were focused on the NGN's challenges, mandate, objectives and future activities.

The experience of the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) NGN allowed for the sharing of best practices and experiences, enabling Tunisian Customs to draw inspiration from the Canadian project to build its own Next Generation Network model. The various sessions, facilitated by CBSA and the A-CIP Programme, helped guide participants in developing an action plan to deploy specific activities by the end of 2021-early 2022.

The WCO A-CPI Program is currently supporting more than 20 countries in the five WCO regions with funding from Norad and Canada. For more information, please, contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org.