At the invitation of Mr. Thamer Al-Shorman, Acting Director General of Jordan Customs, WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya attended the opening ceremony of the Regional Training Centre (RTC) for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in Amman, Jordan on 9 and 10 November 2015.

The MENA region was represented at the event by Mr. Mohamed Al Khalifa, President of Bahrain Customs, in his capacity as WCO Vice-Chair and Regional Representative, as well as by the Regional Office for Capacity Building.  Jordan’s political and business leaders joined the event, together with representatives of development partners including USAID, which had supported the refurbishment of the RTC building and supplied equipment.

Secretary General Mikuriya spoke about the importance of investing in human resources in Customs and stressed the usefulness of the RTC in developing the knowledge and skills of Customs officers in the region, sharing best practices and strengthening the regional network.  He also hoped the RTC would be used for engaging stakeholders in Customs, including business and other border agencies, to achieve coordinated border management.

The RTC used this opportunity to host its first Regional Seminar on Advance Rulings, with participation by Customs officers from some of the MENA region administrations.