On September 30, the Superintendency of Tax Administration of Guatemala (SAT-G), in charge of the Regional Vice Presidency of the World Customs Organization for the Americas and the Caribbean (WCO) and the Central American Customs Committee of SICA, organized a Workshop on ethics, transparency and integrity for the administrations of Central America and Panama.
According to the WCO, experts from the Anti-Corruption and Integrity Promotion Programme (A-CIP) provided information on the tools and instruments available to the Organization to fight corruption. In this regard, the Regional Vice President of the WCO and head of the Central American Customs Committee, Werner Ovalle, stressed the importance of integrity in Customs and emphasized on numerous occasions that the efficiency of Customs depends largely on the ethics and transparency of people and processes.
With the assistance of 53 officials, the workshop began with a brief Conceptual presentation on ethics, followed by an interactive discussion on personal and corporate values. The final session addressed transformational leadership in Customs and how this theory inspires people to perform beyond their perceived capabilities. WCO information notes that “the innovative and dynamic approach generated excellent discussion among participants and speakers.”
It was also reported that “experts highlighted The WCO Revised Arusha Declaration (2003), as the central outline of an effective approach to promoting good governance and integrity in Customs”. Other important tools were presented to attendees: the recently enhanced Integrity Development Guide, the Model Code of Ethics and Conduct, the Corruption Risk Mapping and the Transparency and Predictability Guidelines.
According to the OMA, given the success of the workshop, SAT Guatemala is planning a new event to celebrate the International Anti-Corruption Day (December 9).
It should be noted that the WCO A-CIP Programme supports regional integrity initiatives and is carrying out activities with eight partner countries in the region, including Guatemala, thanks to funding from Canada.WCO Press Release)
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