As part of the celebration of International Women's Day 2023, OMA Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya launched the new publication “Gender Equality and Diversity in Customs”, which collects the 12 best practices administrations around the world.
The material was produced with funding from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) under the WCO Trade Facilitation Acceleration Programme. Through the examples described, the Organization shows the diversity of its membership and how customs administrations take gender considerations into account and promote inclusion, in line with their strategic framework and specific environments.
In this way, its pages nourish the good practices of customs in Argentina, Canada, Germany, Indonesia, Ireland, Mauritania, Peru, the WCO Capacity Office for the Eastern and Southern Africa Region, South Africa, Ukraine, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
In the words of Secretary General of the WCO: “Including women and other groups that may be marginalized in the technological circuit is even more important given the ongoing digital transformation of Customs, accelerated especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.” She added: “In this context, the WCO aims to help members educate the next generation by promoting a culture of knowledge sharing and pride in the Customs profession, while emphasizing the importance of gender equality and inclusion in an increasingly digital economy.”
As gender equality, diversity and inclusion remain high on the WCO agenda, the Organization recalls the tools to assist members in this area. Namely:
- Gender Equality Assessment in Organisations (GEOAT), an essential self-assessment tool that helps customs administrations to carry out an analysis of the situation in the different areas of customs competence and to design the necessary corrective measures.
- Declaration on Gender Equality and Diversity in Customs, 2020, which recognises gender equality and diversity as prerequisites for sustainable development, growth and competitiveness.
- Blended training programme on gender equality in Customs, including two e-learning modules available on the WCO CLiKC! platform.
- In addition, the WCO is establishing a group of recognised experts in the field to help develop capacity in this area.
In the new edition, the WCO Secretary-General encourages taking a holistic approach and considering gender equality and inclusion in both its internal policies (including human resources management, leadership and professional development) and its external policies (in border operations and collaboration with stakeholders).
To this end, the WCO's valuable publication was launched to provide members with information on how to become more gender-sensitive and inclusive. (WCO Press Release) (Publication «Gender Equality and Diversity in Customs”, January 2023, XNUMX)
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.
