A WCO Asia/Pacific Regional Workshop for the Accreditation of WCO Mercator Programme Advisors (MPAs) was held at the WCO Regional Training Centre in Suva, Fiji, from 22nd to 26th January 2018 with funding support of the Korea Customs Cooperation Fund (CCF/Korea). 

Fourteen (14) Customs officers from twelve (12) Member administrations in the WCO Asia/Pacific region participated in this Accreditation Workshop. Four (4) representatives from the Oceania Customs Organization were also given the opportunity to participate in line with the WCO’s outreach initiatives.

Candidates were assessed against the defined MPA profile through a series of simulation exercises, presentations, role-plays, group activities and plenary discussions.  Candidates were also required to demonstrate their knowledge and strategic application of core WCO standards, tools and instruments, as well as the WTO TFA along with their potential to facilitate discussion with senior Customs officials in a strategic context.  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 last day of the Workshop, 26th January, coincided with the International Customs Day, during which Mr. Visvanath Das, Chief Executive Officer of the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service (FRCS), kindly invited the workshop facilitators and participants to their in-house ceremony, where selected FRCS officials received Certificates of Merit on behalf of WCO Secretary General for outstanding performance.