On 26 July 2022 participants from 8 countries in the Americas came together under the WCO Anti-Corruption and Integrity Promotion (A-CIP) Programme, for a live virtual discussion with WCO experts on project management and gender equality and diversity.  The participants joined the discussion after completing the Project Management in a Customs Environment e-learning module on the WCO’s CLIKC! Platform, created last year with funding from the UK and translated into Spanish earlier this year with funding from Canada via the A-CIP Programme. 

Following a review of key points from the e-learning module, a new element was introduced with a presentation and active discussion of how projects can be managed in a gender-sensitive and inclusive way.  This identified concrete actions in line with the WCO’s Gender Equality and Diversity policies.

Lastly, the discussion tied the lessons learned to specific approaches and challenges that may be encountered in the management of integrity-related projects in each administration under the umbrella of the WCO A-CIP Programme.  The importance of careful consideration of stakeholders and strong communications was highlighted throughout the discussions.

As a direct result of this activity, more than 85% of the participants immediately identified things their administrations could be doing differently to improve project management.

The WCO A-CIP Programme currently supports more than 20 countries in five WCO regions, with funding from Norad and Canada. For more information, please, contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org.