WCO Columbus Programme
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject. Please help improve the article with a good introductory style. |
|
|
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (October 2007) |
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.
Contents |
[edit] 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).
[edit] 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.
The WCO Columbus Programme, which is the WCO's primary driver for bolstering capacity building, emerged from a confluence of themes and events. The WCO transformed its capacity building policy and programmes with high-level political leadership; philosophical consensus (widespread acceptance of the needs assessment or diagnostic approach); strategic impetus resulting from the establishment of innovative instruments (the Revised Kyoto Convention coming into force and the embrace of the SAFE Framework of Standards); organizational reconfiguration (the establishment of the Capacity Building Directorate); financial supplements (monetary donations from Members earmarked for capacity building); and the leveraging of resources (donor coordination and personnel secondments).
[edit] Needs Assessment or Diagnosis
Central to this evolution, the WCO was at the vanguard of the idea that to achieve sustainability, Customs capacity building must involve an accurate diagnosis of developmental needs and cannot be considered in isolation. This notion was once considered provocative but ultimately became the consensus. Empirical evidence collected from experiences of success and failure fuelled this transition. The belief that training and technical assistance will be effective without considering the litany of related challenges, such as trainee motivation and skills sets; language barriers and cultural sensitivities; technology and its maintenance; legal authority; high-level political will; organizational structure; resources; and follow-up monitoring; is now anachronistic. This is not to contend that training and technical assistance are never useful; the new capacity building regime merely asserts that projects must be placed in the proper context and with the appropriate sequencing.
Emanating from this perspective, the Columbus Programme's core tenet is an accredited expert producing a comprehensive and accurate diagnosis of a Customs administration's capacity gaps based on rigorous research methods and analysis conducted in country. The diagnostic report, which contains findings and a list of prioritized recommendations, is presented by the WCO analyst to the leadership of the Customs administration under review and other high-level government officials. The report's proprietary nature lends itself to an honest and constructive critique of the organization's capabilities. The Customs administration subsequently has the flexibility and responsibility on further action - it can elect to implement some, all, or none of the recommendations. If the administration seeks to pursue some or all of the recommendations, the WCO is available for consultations and guidance in the preparation of an action plan and a business case proposal for capacity building.
Some still question the diagnostic approach by querying whether the provision of outside experts spending a mere two weeks asking questions, listening, reviewing documents, and observing operations rather than procuring expensive equipment or teaching the intricacies of valuation make a difference. While imperfect, it is well established in the Customs literature that a precise diagnosis with concrete recommendations is more likely to succeed than training or technical assistance separated from the broader context. The diagnostic process involves analytical facilitation by external and independent experts who bring fresh analysis to help identify what challenges need to be addressed. The bulk of the work will be done internally by national stakeholders and it is thus incumbent on the internal experts, the leaders, managers, and staff that must carry the endeavour forward. It is largely their contribution, not the work of the diagnosticians, which will affect whether the capacity building succeeds or fails. Thus, because the diagnosticians cannot remain on the ground (whether they are there for two weeks or six months), an essential feature of the Columbus Programme is that the recipient country itself must assume a central role in implementation. This is why the WCO insists that an able programme manager from inside the administration be actively involved from the very beginning. On the mission length topic, our experience has been that after two weeks, give or take depending on a number of variables, the information collection effort has reached a point of diminishing returns. With a highly professional, trained, and active team, the diagnosticians will have learned the majority of what they need to provide a synthesized and comprehensive report to the Ministry and administration on what challenges should be addressed. Additional time and expense will not alter the basic findings and recommendations. If the stay turns into six months, the team is no longer two diagnosticians; they have become implementation consultants. This is not currently the role of the WCO Secretariat, nor should it be. In addition to being prohibitively expensive, it strays from the mission of the WCO to provide guidance and advice rather than long-term day-to-day management.
[edit] Customs Competencies
The Columbus Programme is also about fostering excellence in all areas of Customs roles and responsibilities. Linked to this, beneficiaries can select what is useful from all that is on offer. Because capacity building under the Columbus Programme takes an all encompassing and strategic management approach, the initiative will strengthen all areas of Customs responsibilities, including revenue collection, trade facilitation, enforcement, and security. It is self-evident that an administration that focuses on revenue collection can still learn from an administration that focuses on trade facilitation or security, and consequently boost revenue collection. An administration that focuses on security can learn from an administration that focuses on trade facilitation or revenue collection, and strengthen security, and so on.
These functions are by no means mutually exclusive. A Customs administration must be a player in trade facilitation by developing intelligent and targeted controls based on a risk management culture. A Customs administration can perform its "security" function because it gathers trade data for revenue collection purposes, because it is familiar with traders through its "facilitation" role, and can consequently use its expertise to protect society from the import, export or transit of dangerous goods. Conversely, a Customs administration is able to perform its fiscal function of revenue collection effectively because it is familiar with traders through its economic role, protects society against organized crime networks that use commercial fraud to fund their activities, and ensures that trade infrastructures are secure.
[edit] WCO Diagnostic Framework
The Columbus Programme lifecycle is based on the WCO Diagnostic Framework Project Lifecycle. The seven steps are (1) Project Identification (WCO Member requests assistance from the WCO Secretariat or a donor Member; donor coordination); (2) Initial Assessment (WCO Self-Assessment Checklist); (3) Needs Assessment (diagnostic missions); (4) Project Preparation (action plan and business case if necessary); (5) Implementation; (6) Monitoring; and the last step (7) Evaluation (evaluation of project objectives and outcomes). While this is the appropriate sequencing, there is of necessity some overlap.
While the WCO Secretariat's role in the Columbus Programme is central in steps 1 through 3, it begins to diminish beginning with step 4, which is dominated by the administration building its capacity. The WCO Secretariat is available to provide advice with project preparation; however, the administration and its donor partners are largely responsible for the most substantial step, implementation.
