The second edition of the World Customs Organization (WCO) magazine, published on Wednesday (2023), presents the challenges and strategies of customs administrations in fragile situations, i.e. in conflict-affected areas, development of leadership and management skills, and the fight against corruption, among others.
The magazine begins with a Message from WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya, who outlines the challenges faced by customs administrations in such situations of extreme fragility and stresses the importance of government support. Below is a summary of the research carried out (2016) and the WCO's publications on the subject (2022), as well as a more detailed description of the Action Plan on Fragile Borders that should guide the Organization's activities from 2023 to 2026.
The articles in the magazine present the experiences of some customs offices to face challenges and strategies in the face of the security threat by terrorist groups, criminal gangs and guerrillas. This is the case of the Customs of Cameroon (Central Africa) and the Republic of Haiti (Caribbean).
Meanwhile, Argentina (South America) focuses on institutional arrangements and schemes of inter-institutional cooperationIn this regard, Customs explains the framework of collaboration that it maintains with the National Gendarmerie, the Argentine Naval Prefecture, the Airport Security Police and the Federal Police, as well as the measures adopted to strengthen ties and generate trust between the agencies involved (Article available in Spanish). For its part, the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism presents the concept of the Fusion Centre, through which national partners come together in a collaborative effort to share resources, experience and information in order to maximize their capacity to detect, prevent and respond to terrorist and criminal activity.
In addition, the Customs of France (Europe) and Nigeria (West Africa) specifically analyze the training and they present the Border Academy being built in Niger to train the internal security services of West African countries.
The last article refers to the humanitarian organizations operating in fragile and conflict-affected situations. In particular, it looks at the constraints they face and how customs administrations can better support their work.
Since its first edition, the WCO magazine has become one of the most relevant content in the customs community. The publication, of high editorial quality, is published and distributed free of charge three times a year: February, June and October. It is available at https://mag.wcoomd.org/
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.
