Human resource management and development (HRMD) are among the top priorities for the sustainable development of the Customs Service of the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan. HRMD for the Tajikistan Customs Service (TCS) are hugely important to senior members of the country’s leadership.
During a meeting with the WCO Secretary General, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, in Dushanbe in October 2021, H.E. Emomali Rahmon, President of the Republic of Tajikistan, strongly emphasized the importance of building HR capacities (WCO web article: Enhanced cooperation with the WCO endorsed by the President of Tajikistan, 12 October 2021).
In response, the WCO successfully delivered, in partnership with the World Bank, a virtual HRMD diagnostic and consultation mission from 22 to 29 December 2021. The Commissioner of the TCS, Mr. Karimzoda Khurshed Abdurahmon, and the Deputy Commissioner, Mr. Hurmatzoda Izatullo, personally oversaw the successful launch and completion of the mission that engaged over 25 senior Tajik Customs officials from various departments.
The main objective of the mission was to share international HRMD best practices through a comprehensive diagnostic process with a view to identifying areas of development and opportunities for capacity building within the TCS – leveraging the WCO People Development Diagnostic Tool, the WCO guide to implementing Competency-Based HRM system in the Customs environment. Through adequate communications and constructive discussions during this six-day mission, the WCO experts and the TCS HRM team highlighted that the Customs Service’s leadership and organizational structure, the role of HR, competency-based HRMD, rotation and career development, and staff training and development are the key components of the HRMD modernization programme and are instrumental in the successful implementation of the current TCS Strategic Plan. The WCO team of experts provided the TCS with tailor-made recommendations that will feed into an action plan for future implementation.
TCS senior management expressed their appreciation for the successful and constructive mission, welcomed and affirmed their commitment to the proposed recommendations, and expressed their readiness to cooperate with the WCO in modernizing HRMD for Customs. The WCO is looking forward to continuing working with the TCS on designing and implementing a modern, competency-based HRM system to be used as sub-regional best practice.
For more information on this mission and the WCO’s people development agenda, please contact: capacity.building@wcoomd.org.