Have you ever wondered why massive investments in international aid programs often yield disappointing results? The World Customs Organization (WCO) is determined to change this pattern. Recently, the WCO Council approved a groundbreaking new capacity building paradigm designed to fundamentally transform how assistance is planned, implemented, and evaluated—ensuring that aid translates into sustainable improvements and potentially transformative impacts.
A Shared Responsibility Approach
The WCO has been rigorously assessing its capacity building strategies and processes—from needs identification and response mechanisms to funding, expert deployment, and impact evaluation. The goal is to align these elements with the organization's broader efforts to optimize resources and activities. After extensive research, the WCO developed this new paradigm centered on shared responsibility among all stakeholders: the WCO itself, beneficiary members, regional entities, and technical experts.
This collaborative framework ensures that capacity building interventions are evidence-based, timely, measurable, and impactful. Rather than unilateral assistance, future initiatives will require active participation from all parties.
Precision Needs Assessment: The Foundation
Experts emphasize that capacity building must be tailored to members' specific needs and priorities. Success begins with accurate initial assessments—evaluating current conditions and clarifying technical assistance requests before implementation. Clear needs identification is the cornerstone of effective aid.
Members can leverage existing self-assessment tools or maturity models to gauge their adoption of WCO standards and monitor customs clearance performance. Participation in the WCO Performance Measurement Mechanism (PMM)—submitting key performance indicator (KPI) data through its online platform—provides additional insights.
Dr. Velma Ricketts Walker, Executive Director of Jamaica Customs Agency, noted: "We must shift from reactive requests to co-developed diagnostic frameworks that incorporate national and regional contexts, using WCO tools like PMM or the Capacity Building Diagnostic Framework."
Mupishi K. Miti, Project Manager at Zambia Revenue Authority, shared how ZRA aligned its strategic plan with WCO's PMM: "By identifying performance gaps, we tailor interventions for targeted, effective assistance."
Hybrid Learning: A Flexible Solution
Traditional training models are often inefficient and limited in reach. Hybrid approaches combining e-learning, remote sessions, and in-person training are proving more effective.
Miti highlighted ZRA's success with flexible e-learning, allowing officers to train at their own pace. Remote learning expands access while reducing costs. Megan Shaw of UK's HMRC added: "With budget constraints, we must maximize existing resources to achieve realistic outcomes."
Impact Evaluation: Measuring What Matters
Robust impact assessments—comparing pre- and post-implementation data—are vital but challenging. Shaw stressed results-oriented work with continuous data collection: "We want stories behind the numbers, like how trade efficiency improves for certified operators."
Dr. Walker advocated moving beyond activity tracking to measuring institutional transformation: "We need dashboard tools for real-time insights into operational changes."
Overcoming Data Challenges
Experts acknowledged difficulties in monitoring interventions due to fragmented data systems and resource limitations. Dr. Walker proposed standardized digital feedback forms integrated with PMM and tiered reporting models. "Transparency is key—we should normalize sharing gaps without stigma," she concluded.
The panel discussion was moderated by Sigfríður Gunnlaugsdóttir of Iceland's Customs Directorate, featuring insights from global customs leaders committed to making capacity building more impactful and sustainable.