As part of its Capacity Building strategy and under the sponsorship of the Japan Customs Cooperation Fund (CCF Japan), the WCO has organized a Regional Accreditation Workshop for Expert Trainers on Harmonized System in the Asia/Pacific Region, in which sixteen Customs Officials from the Region took part.  The Workshop was conducted from 5 to 9 February 2018 and was hosted by the WCO Regional Training Centre (RTC) in Kashiwa, Japan.

Representatives from Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Japan, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Thailand demonstrated their competencies as expert trainers on the Harmonized System and were evaluated by experts from the WCO’s Capacity Building Directorate and Tariff and Trade Affairs Directorate.  Those who successfully demonstrated their potential were pre-accredited and will subsequently be invited to co-facilitate an in-country mission where they will be further assessed for formal accreditation.

The Workshop was an important achievement for the implementation of the WCO’s Capacity Building strategies in the WCO Region as it will increase the team of experts capable of independently leading training and technical assistance activities, on behalf of the WCO, mainly for the Asia/Pacific region.

It was also an excellent opportunity for participants to improve their experience and update their knowledge of the WCO instruments and tools for the benefit of their Customs administrations.  The WCO recognizes the contribution of the participants and is grateful to the Directors-General for their willingness to contribute to the capacity building efforts in the Asia/Pacific region.

The WCO is thankful to the CCF-Japan for its sponsorship and to the Customs Administration of Japan for its commitment to the WCO’s capacity building in the region and for its full support in the organization and realization of the Workshop.