WCO Columbus Programme

The World Customs Organization’s (WCO) Columbus Program is a Customs capacity building program works to promote Customs modernization and implementation of their WCO standards to secure and facilitate world trade.

Capacity Building

The (WCO) defines Capacity building as "activities which strengthen the knowledge, abilities, skills and behaviour of individuals and improve institutional structures and processes such that the organization can efficiently meet its mission and goals in a sustainable way." Since inception 1952, the WCO has been involved in providing capacity building (including training, technical assistance, and needs assessment).

WCO Columbus Programme

In June 2005, the WCO adopted the "Framework of Standards to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade" ("SAFE"), an international Customs instrument containing 17 standards that promotes security and facilitation of the international supply chain. Because of SAFE's complexity, the WCO launched in January 2006 a Customs capacity building program called the WCO "Columbus Programme" which focuses on comprehensive needs assessments for WCO Members using the WCO Diagnostic Framework tool.

WCO Diagnostic Framework

The Columbus Programme lifecycle is based on the WCO Diagnostic FrameworkProject Lifecycle. The seven steps are (1) Project Identification (WCO Memberrequests assistance from the WCO Secretariat or a donor Member; donorcoordination); (2) Initial Assessment (WCO Self-Assessment Checklist); (3) NeedsAssessment (diagnostic missions); (4) Project Preparation (action plan and businesscase if necessary); (5) Implementation; (6) Monitoring; and the last step (7)Evaluation (evaluation of project objectives and outcomes). While this is theappropriate sequencing, there is of necessity some overlap.

While the WCO Secretariat's role in the Columbus Programme is central in steps1 through 3, it begins to diminish beginning with step 4, which is dominated by theadministration building its capacity. The WCO Secretariat is available to provideadvice with project preparation; however, the administration and its donor partners arelargely responsible for the most substantial step, implementation.

External links

* [http://www.gfptt.org/Entities/TopicProfile.aspx?tid=7f481e53-068b-4dab-8720-492b10cf2020 "World Custom Organization"]

* [http://www.wcoomd.org/ie/en/Topics_Issues/CustomsModernizationIntegrity/HH0018E1a.pdf World Custom Organization Website ]