The customs community celebrates International Customs Day on 26 January each year. This year's celebration is even more special because of the 70th anniversary of the World Customs Organization (WCO), a unique organization dedicated to international cooperation and the dissemination of knowledge.
Each year, International Customs Day provides an opportunity for the WCO Secretariat to invite its Members to focus on a topic it considers relevant to the Customs Community and its partners. In 2023, under the motto "Nurturing the Next Generation by Promoting a Culture of Knowledge Sharing and Professional Pride in Customs", the Secretariat invites WCO Members to focus their attention on how to support newly recruited officials, facilitate the dissemination of knowledge and foster a sense of pride in being part of the institution and the Global Customs Community.
This entails placing human capital, and in particular the younger generation, at the heart of customs transformation - an approach that WCO has advocated for many years. Young customs officers often have particular skills, but are required to acquire specific knowledge and expertise.
This approach to learning needs to be embedded in the culture of management and applied throughout the career of customs officers. It requires not only dynamic intergenerational relationships, but also an outward-looking attitude, characterised by exchanges with those involved in the movement of goods and passengers, as well as with service providers and the academic community.
It must also be recognised that some customs organisations lack the processes and methodologies to manage knowledge and ensure its transfer. Therefore, in 2023 Customs administrations are called upon to focus on this issue and develop a knowledge management system that fosters identification and delivery of knowledge and expertise in all forms, including, but not limited to, exhibitions, training courses, e-learning, face-to-face learning, forums, mentoring programmes, work placements, inter-service exchanges, journals and newsletters.
Another interesting approach is to expand cooperation between customs working partners and collect multidisciplinary views. To this end, some administrations are working with the academic community and participating in think tanks. This will ensure that customs knowledge is gained through rigorous data analysis and supported by expert opinion, skills and expertise. Knowledge gained in these contexts can be a valuable asset for decision making.
Customs must avoid losing organisational memory to ensure that mistakes are not repeated and experience is passed on between sectors and to the next generation. By creating an interesting working environment and offering learning opportunities to their officers, customs administrations can not only attract and retain talent, but also enhance their staff's sense of professional pride. It is often said that the younger generation is looking for purpose. Employment in Customs is a noble mission, the fulfillment of which is essential to the prosperity of nations.
Since the reputation of an organization depends largely on its employees, it is important that they feel pride in their work and that it is made clear to them that the way in which they carry out the work of Customs is linked to the vision of the government.
To achieve this, Customs administrations need to increase their visibility, not only among their natural partners but also among those - e.g.e.g., decision-makers and the general public - who may be less familiar with Customs' multifaceted role and less aware of the challenges Customs faces and the constraints it manages.
(NG/SX)
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
Source
