Innovative approaches in the field of

Capacity building of customs personnel

        The 12th meeting of the Regional Office for Capacity Building and Regional Training Centers of the European Region of the World Customs Organization was held on 20-21 June 2024 in Astana.

The event was attended by representatives of the Regional Training Centers of Azerbaijan, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Northern Macedonia and Ukraine.

In welcoming speech, Mr. Zhandos Duisembiyev, Chairman of the State Revenue Committee of the MF RK, drew attention to the fact that capacity building is a priority task for customs authorities in the conditions of rapid development of innovative technologies and availability of highly qualified specialists. Within the framework of this dialog platform, the training centers should develop a mechanism of best practices to strengthen cooperation in the field of capacity building.

The opening ceremony was attended by the Vice-Chair of the WCO European Region - Øystein Børmer, Director of the WCO Capacity Building Directorate - Taeil Kang, as well as the Director of the WCO Regional Office for Capacity Building of the European Region - Antonio Lo Parco. The delegates, in turn, supported the proposal of the Kazakhstan side in terms of active interaction of training centers to develop the professional capacity of customs specialists.

The priority of this meeting is to discuss strategic directions for strengthening cooperation between regional structures, as well as sharing best practices in capacity building.

The agenda included thematic sessions aimed at enhancing customs administration capabilities, improving the quality of regional training centers, as well as further steps to strengthen cooperation between regional structures.

At one of the panel sessions, Mr. Antonio Lo Parco proposed to present and discuss proposals for the development of a tool to enhance cooperation between regional training centers on institutional development.

The outcome of this event is the elaboration of a draft document defining a mechanism for strengthening interaction and further development of cooperation in the field of capacity building.