The World Customs Organization (WCO) Capacity Building Committee (CBC) held its 16th session from 26 to 28 February 2025 under the theme “Reimagining the WCO Capacity-Building Paradigm – Thriving with Strategic Purpose and Resource Optimization”.
Over the course of the meeting, 300 delegates representing Customs administrations, WCO regional entities and partner organizations gathered to share experiences on matters of interest to the Customs community relating to capacity building as well as to discuss and provide guidance to the Secretariat on its overall strategic direction and focus.
As keynote speaker, WCO Secretary General Ian Saunders, set the tone for the deliberations over the draft Capacity Building Paradigm (Paradigm), which is meant to address the need for an update to the twenty-year old the Capacity Building Strategy. The Paradigm emphasizes the strategic alignment of the WCO capacity-building interventions with the Organization’s Mission, Vision, and Values. In addition, the Paradigm has been crafted to align with the WCO Strategic Plan which expresses the core objectives and focus areas that Members have directed the Secretariat to pursue.
The Committee engaged in profound discussions on the elements of the new Paradigm and its links to the Organization’s broader modernization efforts. Part of that effort requires optimizing resources and achieving better strategic positioning and prioritization for the WCO Secretariat and Members. Furthermore, the session addressed essential operational aspects of the Paradigm and key factors for enabling evidence-based technical assistance and capacity building.
Delegates also discussed, among other essential topics, the progress in the implementation of the CBC Work Programme for 2022-2025 and the parameters of the next edition, as well as progress with the capacity-building aspects of the WCO Data Strategy and the WCO Distance Learning Strategy, the mobilization of expertise, efficient donor coordination, leveraging the potential of regional entities, and promoting gender equality and diversity.
Ms. Li Yan, from the Mission of China to the European Union, and Mr Yazeed Abdullah Alhadlaq, from the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA), Saudi Arabia, were elected as Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson for the CBC, respectively. The Committee expressed appreciation to Mr. Yoshiro Baba, who chaired the 16th session of the CBC.
For more information, please contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org
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04.03.2025