At the request of the Chairman of Tajikistan Customs service (TCS) the WCO conducted a diagnostic support mission on the implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) from 10 to 20 of January 2022 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.  

The mission was conducted under the framework of the WCO Mercator Programme, aimed at facilitating the coordinated and harmonized implementation of the TFA, and included discussions with all the relevant departments within TCS along with stakeholders from both the public sector and the business community.  

Through active engagement with TCS senior officials, the WCO team were able to make a comprehensive assessment of the situation with regard to TFA implementation, highlighting areas where good progress had already been achieved and also identifying some areas where further capacity building and technical assistance support may be required.

In collaboration with TCS, the WCO also developed a multi-year Mercator Implementation Plan containing activities, performance indicators, timeframes and responsible departments that will now form the basis for future actions to support implementation of the Articles of the TFA and will facilitate enhanced engagement with other government agencies and private sector stakeholders involved in trade facilitation reforms.

The WCO team also took the opportunity to conduct a Mercator Maturity Model Assessment that provides an important baseline against which future TFA implementation, within TCS, can be effectively measured and reported.  

For more information, please, contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org.