Upon request of the Kuwait General Administration of Customs (KGAC), a WCO support mission to Kuwait was conducted from 28 September to 3 October 2013 to help the administration formulate its strategic plan and a related action plan.

The WCO delegation worked closely with KGAC managers in charge of driving and co-ordinating the Customs reform process. Discussions focused on the need to create a new strategic perspective to satisfy the requirements of modern Customs in the 21st Century. Particular attention was paid to explaining key components of 'strategic planning' including understanding the importance of a customs vision, its mission, values and strategy. The translation of strategic objectives into concrete actions and tangible modernization projects was outlined with particular emphasis on results-based management to deliver customs modernization projects more effectively.

The mission also touched upon the need to review the organizational structure and current business processes within KGAC. In addition, the workshop provided an opportunity to deal with topics such as human resources and training management, risk management and good governance. Based on the interest expressed by KGAC to further enhance their implementation of various WCO and international instruments and best practices, the workshop also included a presentation and discussions of the contents of the four WCO packages, namely the Organizational Development Package, the Revenue Package, the Economic Competitiveness Package and the Compliance and Enforcement Package.

The strong KGAC commitment to reform and modernization was underlined by the fact that the WCO support mission was entirely self-funded by them