Within the framework of the Central American Customs Committee, the first "Study on Gender Equality in Customs Administrations» (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Dominican Republic), reported the Guatemalan Customs Office.
The importance of the preparation of the document, by the Regional Technical Assistance Center of the International Monetary Fund for Central America, Panama and the Dominican Republic (CAPTAC-DR), lies in knowing the situation regarding gender equality in Central American customs administrations, as well as identifying their gaps at the national and regional level.
To this end, the Guatemalan administration reported that it used the World Customs Organization (WCO) Statement on Gender Equality and Diversity, which provides the legal framework under which customs directors have included the gender issue in their agenda. And as the main methodological piece -as indicated- the Gender Equality Organizational Assessment Tool (GEOAT) of the WCO.
This tool, developed to assist customs in their modernization agenda, contains 5 key principles and a host of indicators to guide them in determining their capacity to address gender-related issues. It examines policies relating to human resource management such as recruitment and career development, as well as discrimination and the conditions for creating a bias-free work environment.
With this approach, the production of CAPTAC-DR information was carried out in coordination with the WCO Regional Vice-Presidency for the Americas and the Caribbean, the WCO Secretariat and the Institute of Fiscal Studies of Spain.
Gender equality and inclusion are not just women's issues, but must be considered a concern and a commitment shared by all. In this sense, it is estimated that these indicators will serve as input to "improve organizational performance and generate greater awareness about the importance of gender equality among members of the region," declared the Guatemalan Customs Office in charge of the Pro Tempore Presidency of the Central American Customs Committee.
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