In its ongoing endeavours to support its Members through capacity building activities, the WCO conducted a National Workshop on Risk Assessment and Selectivity in Tashkent, Uzbekistan from 26 to 30 November 2018. The Workshop was made possible through funding provided by the Customs Cooperation Fund of Japan (CCF-Japan).

The Workshop was inaugurated by Col. Aripov Jasur Alimovich, the First Deputy Chairman of the Uzbekistan Customs Committee, who in his opening speech, welcomed the WCO's capacity building initiatives. He also emphasized that it was not a mere coincidence that the President's Decree on the implementation of risk management in Uzbekistan Customs was issued a few days before the commencement of the Workshop, but rather an indication of the strong commitment of the Uzbekistan Government to adopting a risk management approach.

The Workshop was structured in such a manner so as to invite maximum interaction between the facilitators and the participants. Participants were exposed to the principles, architecture and processes of risk management, and also to group activities that included practical exercises on the identification of risk indicators for different types of cargo as well as profiling and targeting techniques. They were also made aware of the various WCO tools and instruments in this domain.

The very good level of knowledge of the principles, procedures and practices of risk management displayed by the participants assisted in highly motivating their active participation. They were also keen to understand the principles of intelligence-driven risk management in the  changing global business environment where Customs interventions are more and more risk based and fully adapted to cope with available resources.

At the end of the Workshop, Ms. Gulfiya Xabieva, Head of the International Relations Department, expressed her appreciation and gratitude to the facilitators and the participants for their valuable contributions to the success of the Workshop. Mr. Ramil Kontyukov, Head of the Department of Risk Management, thanked the WCO for organizing the Workshop and its continued support for other Customs related programmes.