The World Customs Organization (WCO) conducted a Single Window Workshop in Astana, Kazakhstan, from 29 November to 1 December 2023, hosted by the State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan. This mission to Kazakhstan was facilitated with the support of the Customs Cooperation Fund of China (CCF China).

During the opening of the Workshop, the Director of the Control Department, State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mr. Eldos Saudabayev, acknowledged the importance of the WCO Single Window mission to Kazakhstan. He highlighted the growing need for trade facilitation tools and the fact that Single Window implementation formed an important cornerstone in this respect. He welcomed the WCO experts’ assistance in assessing implementation of the Kazakhstan Single Window system and in highlighting areas that might need improvement through the recommendations stemming from the three-day Workshop.

The main objective of the Workshop was to conduct a performance evaluation and measurement of implementation of the Single Window system using the WCO assessment tools. The assessment was designed both to establish whether Kazakhstan’s Single Window system was aligned with WCO tools and instruments, especially the WCO Data Model, and to pinpoint any areas for improvement in order to move Kazakhstan’s Single Window Environment forward to the next level of ‘maturity’.  

Throughout the Workshop, the WCO experts presented several WCO instruments and tools of relevance to the Single Window Environment and trade facilitation. They also outlined the concepts of Single Window governance, Single Window performance management and sustainability, business process analysis and re-engineering, the WCO Data Model, and data harmonization, supported by case studies from different countries. Finally, the WCO experts gave a briefing on the newly developed Performance Measurement Mechanism (PMM) that would be used to measure Customs performance in all areas using voluntary self-assessment and peer review. They encouraged the Kazakhstan Administration to take part in the initial phase of the self-assessment when the PMM was launched.

The WCO Workshop proved highly effective, as the Kazakhstan Single Window team appreciated the assessment of their Single Window system based on the Single Window Maturity Model, the practical exercises in data harmonization, and the sharing of best practices by other WCO Members having implemented similar solutions.

The WCO will continue to support the development of the Single Window in Kazakhstan through implementation of the recommendations made at the end of the Workshop, with a commitment by the Kazakhstan Single Window team and the private sector to that end.