At the request of the General Department of Customs and Excise (GDCE) of Cambodia, the WCO  conducted a support mission to carry out a Gap Analysis on the implementation status of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) and to facilitate the development of GDCE’s new five year Strategic and Work Program for Reform and Modernization (SWRM).

The mission was held from 6–15 August 2018 under the framework of WCO Mercator Program and with financial support of the Customs Cooperation Fund (CCF), Japan.

With regard to the WTO-TFA gap analysis activity, delivered under the auspices of the WCO Mercator Programme, the WCO team held a series of informative meetings and consultations with senior and mid-level GDCE officials from both central and field offices representing a wide range of Customs departments and areas of responsibility. The WCO team also met with senior representatives from the Cambodia Freight and Forwarder Association (CAMFFA) to understand the current position from a private sector perspective.

It is envisaged that the subsequent diagnostic report, containing a series of recommendations, will provide the framework by which the GDCE and the WCO can engage further in support of TFA implementation as part of a broader Customs modernization and reform agenda.  The WCO Mercator Programme is specifically designed to support developing countries to implement the TFA using the WCO’s extensive range of instruments and tools.

The WCO team also collaborated with the GDCE working group with responsibility for drafting the SWRM (2019–2023) which is due to be implemented in January 2019. The WCO team provided advice and support and encouraged GDCE to ensure the new Plan was fully aligned to the identified WTO-TFA requirements.

The WCO is standing by to work collaboratively with the GDCE in supporting further capacity building and technical assistance needs, coordinating activity with other development partners, and facilitating further cooperation with other national Customs administrations.