WCO Members of the Virtual Working Group (VWG) on Gender Equality & Diversity (GED) gathered through an online meeting on the 18 of October to discuss further advancing the GED agenda in Customs.

On the occasion of the meeting, the VWG Chair representing the Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) and the Vice Chair representing the Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DGCE) of Indonesia were introduced.

The meeting provided an opportunity for the representatives from 15 Customs administrations (Brazil, Canada, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Maldives, Mexico, Morocco, Panama, Peru, South Africa, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Zambia and Zimbabwe), as well as representatives from the Regional Offices of Capacity Building (ROCB) in West and Central Africa and Asia/Pacific, to receive an update on the timeline of the WCO GED implementation plan. They were also briefed on the status of the Compendium for GED in Customs development, planned to be launched in March 2023, and received a presentation on the latest GED data gathered from the 2022 WCO annual survey.

Members were also informed of the newly appointed regional focal points from four of the six WCO regions. They will support the Secretariat in liaising with Members in their respective regions and disseminate information on the WCO GED work and tools.

As the WCO plans to create a pool of recognized experts on GED in Customs, Members were also informed of the specific profile and qualifications required from potential or future candidates.

The meeting also provided an opportunity to take stock of the possible GED topics that could be discussed in future meetings.

Finally, the SUNAT (Peru Customs) presented their work and a recent initiative to prevent sexual harassment, including conducting a survey among staff and providing dedicated training on the topic.

For more information on the GED in Customs initiatives or to join the dedicated Virtual Working Group, please contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org.