On the initiative of the WCO and with support from the Regional Office for Capacity Building for the Europe region, the SECO-WCO Global Trade Facilitation Programme (GTFP) organized a WCO Europe Sub-regional Virtual Workshop on Integrity from 6 to 8 December 2021.

With over 25 participants from 11 countries, this three-day Workshop allowed Customs Administrations to discuss at a sub-regional level the importance of implementing Integrity measures and their key role in trade facilitation. In addition, it provided a space for Customs Administrations to share their national experiences on the implementation of Transparency and Predictability measures and the progress achieved through the implementation of the Revised Arusha Declaration, with the support of the WCO and other development partners.

During this event, a diverse set of panelists and moderators from member Customs Administrations from the region, international organisations, as well as a pool of WCO technical officers and experts, addressed the vital importance of Integrity and exchanged ideas on concrete initiatives to promote transparency and predictability, and through that, trade facilitation.

Practical group sessions created an informal atmosphere conducive to the exchange of ideas and the participants had the opportunity to discuss best practices and challenges. The main achievements of this Workshop include a compilation of integrity practices in the form of a Map of Integrity Initiatives to equip the participants with concrete ideas to promote Integrity through Transparency and predictability.