The small Southeast Asian nation of Timor-Leste faces a pivotal moment in strengthening its customs capabilities. As international trade grows increasingly complex and modern challenges emerge, enhancing the professional skills and service quality of customs personnel has become a crucial task for Timor-Leste Customs. The World Customs Organization's (WCO) involvement has provided vital support, helping to develop a three-year training blueprint.
Background: The WCO-Norad Customs Capacity Building Program
The "Customs Capacity Building Program (2012-2017)", a collaborative initiative between WCO and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), serves as the foundation for current efforts. This program provided technical assistance to seven developing nations including Timor-Leste, Liberia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Vietnam to improve customs administration.
The project previously supported Timor-Leste's Customs Training Center by training core instructors and building capacity in valuation and intelligence fields. These preparatory measures established a solid foundation for developing the current training strategy.
Core Mission: Developing the 2017-2019 Training Strategy
From January 23-27, 2017, WCO experts worked with Timor-Leste Customs Training Center and department heads in Dili to develop a new training strategy and plan. Key objectives included:
- Comprehensive training needs assessment: Building on previous work to conduct thorough evaluations across all customs departments, ensuring targeted solutions.
- Expanded training scope: Extending training beyond valuation and intelligence to cover all functional areas and broader staff participation.
- Sustainable training center development: Establishing a self-sufficient internal training center to support modernization efforts.
- Modernization advancement: Enhancing customs professionals' capabilities to better align with international trade developments.
Key Elements of the Training Strategy
The new strategy incorporates several critical components:
- Clear, measurable training objectives tailored to different roles
- Comprehensive content covering legal frameworks, procedures, risk management, and technology
- Diverse training methods including lectures, case studies, simulations, and e-learning
- Robust evaluation mechanisms for continuous improvement
- Development of sustainable local training capacity
- Secured funding commitments
WCO's Role in Implementation
The WCO provided essential support through:
- Technical guidance for strategy development
- Sharing international best practices
- Providing training resources including materials and expertise
Expected Outcomes
The initiative is projected to deliver significant improvements in:
- Enhanced professional competencies among customs officers
- Improved operational efficiency and transparency
- Advanced modernization through technology adoption
- Strengthened trade environment to attract investment
While customs capacity building remains an ongoing challenge for Timor-Leste, WCO's support has created momentum for sustainable development. The comprehensive training strategy positions Timor-Leste Customs to better contribute to national economic growth.