Canada funded support through the WCO Anti-Corruption & Integrity Promotion (A-CIP) Programme to the National Customs Service of Ecuador (SENAE) to advance their Single Window Environment (SWE). This initiative aimed at modernizing the Single Window (SW) system in collaboration with stakeholders to increase efficiency, facilitate international trade, contribute to the fight against corruption and promote integrity, in line with the Reform and Modernization key factor of the WCO Revised Arusha Declaration.
The five-day workshop was held in Guayaquil, Ecuador, from 9 to 13 January 2023 and brought together 18 SENAE officials and 8 representatives from three border control agencies. In addition, 11 participants connected remotely from different parts of the country and fully interacted with the rest of the team over the week, demonstrating a successful application of a hybrid approach to the WCO’s delivery of technical assistance and capacity building. The WCO Facilitators and a Pre-Accredited Expert led the sessions, transferring knowledge on building a modern and efficient SWE and sharing examples of best practices.
In particular, participants undertook practical exercises for detecting corruption risks in an SWE, using the WCO Data Model (DM) and business process analysis. The attendees very well received these hands-on exercises. The WCO DM Application was used by the participants, including those who were participating remotely, to learn how to map a process which enabled them to have a better understanding of Customs data-sharing approaches.
During the closing remarks, the Deputy Director General of SENAE thanked the WCO for contributing to their modernization process. The WCO Facilitators acknowledged the active participation, insightful comments and engagement of all participants, pointing out that one of the guiding principles of the A-CIP Programme is Collective Action.
For more information, please contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org.