OSCE holds workshop for customs officials on effective risk assessment methods

Lidia Ababii, Chief Inspector of the Customs Service of Moldova, reading the OSCE publication 'Handbook of Best Practices at Border Crossings', Dushanbe, 1 November 2013. (OSCE/Ilona Kazaryan)

DUSHANBE, 1 November 2013 - A five-day regional workshop on effective customs controls through risk management and non-intrusive inspection technologies concluded at the OSCE Border Management Staff College today.

Participants learned how countries can develop and implement their own customs risk assessment system based on profiling and targeting. They discussed the identification of key risk areas and related risk indicators applicable both to land and aircargo movements. They also exchanged views on non-intrusive inspection technologies, scanning and image analysis techniques as a useful addition to a risk-based approach.

The seminar, one in a series of capacity-building events and based on the content of the OSCE-UNECE Handbook of Best Practices at Border Crossings: A Trade and Transport Facilitation Perspective, was co-organized with the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities and the World Customs Organization. It gathered 28 mid- and senior-ranking customs officers from Afghanistan, Armenia, Belarus, Czech Republic, Georgia, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russian Federation, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Ukraine.

“The use of a risk management approach leads to better human resource allocation as customs staff can concentrate efforts on fewer consignments. Risk-based clearance also allows customs release the vast majority of shipments immediately after the clearance document is lodged, saving time and costs for traders,” said Henryk Raczkowsky, Director of the OSCE Border Management Staff College.

Roel Janssens, Economic Adviser at the OSCE Secretariat added: “A risk-based management approach helps distinguish compliant and legitimate businesses from potentially non-compliant traders, based on selectivity and profiling. It empowers officials to ensure customs enforcement, security and trade facilitation at the same time.”