As every December 9, today marks the International Day against Corruption. The date was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly with the purpose of raising awareness about this problem that affects various sectors of society.
Thus, the World Customs Organization (WCO) joins the initiative of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), with the aim of "“Recover with integrity”.
La initiative aims to implement effective measures to combat corruption and instill integrity practices inclusive during the post-COVID-19 pandemic recovery process. This celebration is an opportunity for Customs to highlight the unnoticed effects of urgent COVID-19 mitigation responses taken by governments with respect to trade compliance.
For WCO Secretary General, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya“Accountability and transparency are key elements in the way trusted public institutions, including Customs, operate.”
“I therefore call for collective action by Customs officials, the private sector and citizens to unite in the fight against corruption,” the WCO Secretary-General added in his message.
Integrity and the fight against corruption are high on the WCO agenda and on this special day, The WCO proposes to recall its tools to overcome these scourges. The Arusha Declaration, first adopted in 1993, is the WCO's main instrument on customs integrity. In 2003, it was unanimously adopted by its members as providing Customs administrations with a useful approach to anti-corruption policies and practices and aligning with many articles of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, also of 2003.
The new WCO integrity e-learning module, recently launched in CLiKC! Platform, is available for Customs officials to explore Customs' institutional, managerial and individual responses to corruption, through the lens of the Arusha Declaration (Revised) and other WCO integrity-related tools and instruments. This module was developed under the WCO's Integrity Promotion and Anti-Corruption Programme (A-CIP) of the WCO, with financial support from the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), which has been expanded to welcome six additional partner administrations.
Within the framework of this program, the following guidelines have also been developed: methodological guidelines of the Customs Integrity Perception Survey (CIPS) to provide guidance to WCO Members wishing to conduct the survey, which aims to collect perceptions of Customs officials and private sector respondents on integrity in Customs.
In order to provide further support to its members, the OMA also hosts a New web series on integrity at which speakers from its Secretariat and members are invited to discuss issues related to the fight against corruption in customs. Topics such as measuring corruption and building a culture of integrity have been addressed. Integrity Bulletin The WCO’s report is a supplement to the report on the achievements and good practices of its members in the field of the fight against corruption.
Finally, the WCO has also launched the WCO Implementation Resource Centre. Arusha Declaration (Revised), where members can access all the tools and instruments that support the implementation of its ten key factors. The WCO will also continue to engage its members on the topic of integrity through its Virtual Working Group (VWG) on Gender Equality and Diversity (GED), to share ideas on how Customs can integrate a gender perspective in its fight against corruption.
Aduana News is the first Argentine customs newspaper to launch its digital version. With 20 years of experience, its publications and initiatives aim to provide the most relevant knowledge on customs issues in order to contribute to safe trade in the region.
