Imagine a customs administration powered by diverse talent—one that not only safeguards borders but also fuels trade prosperity, ensuring benefits for all stakeholders. This vision, far from being a distant dream, is actively being advanced by the World Customs Organization (WCO). In 2025, the WCO has placed "efficiency, security, and prosperity" at the heart of its commitments, with gender equality, diversity, and inclusion (GED) serving as the critical pathway to achieving these goals. Here’s how the WCO is leveraging inclusive strategies and robust partnerships to shape a brighter future for customs globally.
WCO Secretary-General’s Vision: GED as the Essential Path
At the fifth global virtual meeting of the WCO Gender Equality and Diversity Network on October 6, 2025, WCO Secretary-General Ian Saunders underscored in his opening remarks that pursuing gender equality, diversity, and inclusion is indispensable for member customs administrations to fulfill their commitments to efficiency, security, and prosperity. This pursuit, he emphasized, is not only a matter of fundamental human rights but also a driver of enhanced employee performance and more competitive customs systems.
GED: Beyond Rights, a Catalyst for Performance
The WCO firmly believes that fostering diverse and inclusive work environments within customs is pivotal to improving staff performance. As such, the organization urges its members to take seriously the GED principles outlined in the 2020 Customs Gender Equality and Diversity Declaration , which provides a clear framework for action in this domain.
WCO’s GED Roadmap: Tools, Training, and Expert Support
To accelerate progress on GED in customs, the WCO has implemented several key initiatives:
- Gender Equality Organizational Assessment Tool (GEOAT): A robust instrument designed to help customs administrations evaluate their gender equality performance and identify areas for improvement. GEOAT offers a structured framework to assess policies, practices, and culture, enabling targeted action plans.
- Blended Training Package on Gender Equality and Diversity in Customs: This program raises awareness among customs officers about GED issues and equips them with practical skills to promote workplace equality and inclusion. Topics include gender mainstreaming, unconscious bias, and inclusive leadership.
- Roster of Recognized Experts: Responding to growing demand from members for GED support, the WCO Secretariat has curated a pool of experts since 2022 to provide tailored consultancy, training, and guidance to customs administrations.
GED Network Annual Meeting: Sharing Knowledge and Collaboration
To facilitate the exchange of best practices among members, the WCO established the Gender Equality and Diversity Network, which has convened annual meetings since 2021. This platform enables customs administrations and partners to discuss challenges, share successes, and forge collaborative relationships.
2025 Meeting Focus: Inclusion and Partnerships
This year’s gathering brought together over 300 participants to explore two central themes: disability inclusion and GED-related partnerships—both critical to building fairer and more efficient customs systems.
Empowering Women Through Trade: A WTO Perspective
Before the discussions began, Anoush der Boghossian, Head of Trade and Gender at the World Trade Organization (WTO), delivered a welcome address. She highlighted how policies can and should support women’s participation in international trade. While trade, she noted, is "an exceptional classroom for empowerment"—exposing entrepreneurs to global standards, quality expectations, and innovative practices while honing negotiation, marketing, and management skills—women often face higher and more unique barriers than men when benefiting from international trade. Thus, gender equality must remain central to policy and market design.
Breaking Barriers: Advancing Disability Inclusion
A panel on disability inclusion, moderated by a representative of the State Customs Service of Ukraine, featured speakers from the Dominican Republic Customs Authority (DCA), the South African Revenue Service (SARS), and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). They spotlighted efforts to hire and accommodate employees with disabilities, train staff to interact with disabled colleagues and citizens, and adapt workplaces for accessibility and cultural sensitivity.
DCA’s Internship Program: Small Steps, Big Impact
The DCA’s internship initiative for individuals with disabilities has proven transformative. One participant shared how the program provided her with professional opportunities previously out of reach, while another highlighted how it reshaped colleagues’ perceptions of disability.
SARS’s "Disability Advocates": Amplifying Voices
A SARS "disability advocate" recounted her role in championing disability rights and inclusion. "Some disabilities are invisible. It’s our responsibility as disabled individuals to educate and raise awareness. Our motto is ‘Nothing about us without us,’" she asserted. Advocates have improved workplace accessibility, secured assistive devices, and fostered greater understanding of disability challenges.
UNCTAD: Trade Policies to Expand Access to Assistive Devices
An UNCTAD representative stressed the need for trade policies that make assistive devices more accessible, particularly in low-income countries, where only an estimated 10% of people in need can obtain them, compared to 90% in high-income nations. "Many developing countries impose tariff and non-tariff barriers that render these devices costly or difficult to import," they noted.
Collaborative Success: The Power of Partnerships
A partnership-focused panel assembled speakers from Chile Customs, the Chilean private sector, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The WCO strongly advocates cross-sector collaboration on GED—whether with government agencies, national stakeholders, or international partners—to strengthen customs’ efforts in this arena.
Chile’s "Aduana Conecta": Bridging Women Entrepreneurs
Chile’s "Aduana Conecta" program connects women-led businesses with customs procedures, offering tailored guidance to navigate trade regulations. A private-sector participant emphasized that such initiatives not only empower women economically but also enhance customs’ operational efficiency by streamlining interactions with traders.
NCS’s Unique GED Journey: From Lagos to Brussels
An NCS officer who rode a motorcycle from Lagos to Brussels to deepen her administration’s understanding of border operations shared insights from frontline experiences. She called for stronger collaboration among border agencies to reduce waiting times—especially for women in remote and often unsafe areas—and to build gender-responsive, inclusive infrastructure. "Commitment to GED cannot be confined to internal HR policies; it must extend to the trading community," she affirmed.
UNDP’s "Equanomics": From Assessment to Certification
A UNDP representative outlined their work on "Equanomics," supporting finance ministries in evaluating how fiscal systems impact gender equality. The "Gender Equality Seal," a certification process for public institutions, aligns with the WCO’s GEOAT to mainstream gender-sensitive policies.
Upcoming GED Initiatives
Customs administrations interested in contributing to the WCO’s GED efforts are invited to join the Gender Equality and Diversity Virtual Working Group, which will convene next on November 4, 2025.
The WCO Gender Equality and Diversity Network
Launched on International Women’s Day (March 8, 2022), the network operationalizes the principles of the Customs Gender Equality and Diversity Declaration . It complements the work of the Gender Equality and Diversity Virtual Working Group, established in 2017 to advance tools like GEOAT and foster inclusive customs environments.