Conference of Heads of National Training Centres for WCO Europe Region holds in Baku

Baku. 8 December. REPORT.AZ/ Today WCO held the Conference of Heads of National Training Centers on Strengthening the capacity of the European region.

Report informs the meeting dedicated to the WCO Regional Office for Capacity Building in Europe was attended by 21 participating countries, as well as the European Commission and the delegations of WCO and also Azerbaijan.

Chairman of Azerbaijan State Customs Committee Aydin Aliyev , the deputy representative of the WCO European Region Jean Michel Grave and the WCO representative of the Secretariat Roger Hermann attended the opening ceremony.

At the meeting Aliyev said that, the development of technologies observed in the modern era, integration processes and globalization, the economic crisis, the challenges of the digital economy make the issue of capacity building inevitable. According to him, only with the help of high-level specialists it is possible to set up a proper management system with looming changes in the environment. Today, an increase in the volume of trade as a result of globalization and regional integration processes set important tasks in front of customs activity. This has created new challenges in front of the customs services of the world. All Customs services in the world are faced with the same challenge. On the one hand, trade facilitation, on the other hand, the prevention of smuggling, to ensure public health, intellectual property rights and other law enforcement duties are part of those challenges", - said the Chairman of the State Customs Committee.

In addition, the enhancement of the qualification of the staff, the head of the committee noted the importance of the work carried out to improve their professional knowledge: " In recent years, one of the most important steps in this direction was the establishment of the Academy of the State Customs Committee.In addition, the strengthening of the capacity of the regional organization of the mediation process is hosted by the WCO. An integral part of the activities carried out by the customs service in the field of capacity building the next PICARD conference will be held in Baku on September 8-10, 2015".

At the two-day event, the strategy and priorities of WCO, the modernization of the customs system and organizational development, roles and responsibilities of National Coordinators in capacity building, regional approach to capacity building, and so on will be discussed.