As part of its ongoing support to Member administrations in the area of Risk Management, the WCO delivered a virtual Workshop to Ecuador Customs from 23 to 28 November 2020. Some 25 Customs officers from Headquarters and local units actively participated in the various sessions of this six-day initiative.

In her opening address, Ms. Colombo Cordero, Director General of the National Customs Service of Ecuador (SENAE - Servicio Nacional de Aduana de Ecuador), welcomed the participants and highlighted the importance of this type of training for strengthening the capacities of Customs officers in intelligence-driven Risk Management.

The Directors of Risk Management, International Relations and Customs Surveillance also encouraged their teams to take advantage of such training opportunities. This Workshop was made possible through the WCO Reserve Fund, and the SENAE management team expressed its gratitude for this initiative.

The Workshop provided theoretical training on the use of a comprehensive Risk Management methodology to facilitate legitimate trade and increase the efficiency of Customs controls. The facilitators also encouraged the participants to make use of the WCO Risk Management Compendium as well as other relevant tools and instruments which are crucial for enabling Ecuador Customs to achieve its strategic objectives, especially during this period of global crisis as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The participants expressed their appreciation for the practical part of the Workshop, which will be useful in enhancing the application of Risk Management techniques in their daily duties. They also recognized the importance of such training to gain familiarization with the practices for selecting suspicious goods using intelligence-led Risk Management.