Turkmenistan Customs discusses further improvements to its risk management system

A WCO National Workshop on Risk Management for the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan was held from 22 to 26 May 2023 in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, under the sponsorship of the China Customs Cooperation Fund (CCF/China). A total of 21 Customs officers from various departments benefitted from practical presentations and discussions on risk management.

The workshop objectives were to review and analyse Turkmenistan Customs' risk management system, including its Risk Management Committee, as well as to provide support for further improvement of the system.

During the course of the workshop, the participants were updated on the WCO Risk Management Compendium - Volumes 1 and 2; the latest WCO tools and instruments; the risk management architecture; the Trusted Trader Programme; the risk register; the establishment of a Risk Management Committee; and the role of the WCO Customs Enforcement Network. The participants and WCO experts discussed further improvements to Turkmenistan's risk management system and risk register, as well as the setting up of a Risk Management Committee and its Terms of Reference.

In his closing remarks, Mr. Dovran Jepbarov, Head, Legal and International Economic Relations Division, State Customs Service, expressed his appreciation to the WCO, CCF/China and the WCO experts for organizing this workshop to assist Turkmenistan Customs in implementing a risk management approach in line with international standards. The WCO experts made suggestions for the way forward to support Turkmenistan Customs in implementing its Customs modernization project.

The workshop was a success thanks to the active participation by and contribution of the participants, with the latter enriching their knowledge of risk management. The participants expressed their gratitude to the WCO and its experts for sharing valuable knowledge and information in the risk management domain to help them further enhance their risk management system.