KASHIWA, 17 November 2023 –The Specialised Training Course on Customs Human Resource Development (HRD) for the ASEAN Customs Capacity Building Working Group (CCBWG) took place in Kashiwa, Japan on 13 – 17 November. The training was supported by Japanese government through the Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF).
The training aims to equip ASEAN customs officials with knowledge and skills on training policies, succession planning, career development, integrity in customs, and formulation of methodologies for training programmes.
Shigetoshi Aoyama, Managing Director of Japan Customs Training Institute, officiated the training. In his remarks, he highlighted the Specialised Training’s importance which in line with the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation.
He further noted that amidst the fast-changing customs environment, due to the increase in trade volume, the surge of cross-border e-commerce, the rise of various economic partnership agreements, and rapid changes in digitisation, it is essential to focus on human resources aspect as the vital component in customs administrations.
Oentarto Wibowo, World Customs Organization Accredited Expert, stated in his remarks that the training reaffirms ASEAN and Japan customs’ commitment to regional cooperation and shared development. He also stressed that the training represents a critical component in enhancing the capabilities of ASEAN Customs Officials to enable them to facilitate trade, ensure security, and promote economic growth through the exchange of expertise and experiences with Japan’s customs. The training is also expected to provide opportunities for participants to create a network of customs professionals that can support the advancement of customs HRD practices in ASEAN.
In his keynote speech, Cuong Ba Tran, ASEAN Secretariat’s Assistant Director of the Trade Facilitation Division, underscored the importance of customs HRD in a vibrant and complex world landscape, especially after the pandemic and amidst the development of new technologies such as blockchains, AI, big data, and cloud computing.
He also underlined customs HRD officials vital role in becoming more adaptive and responsive to the changing environment, where the HR Customs could be utilised in developing strategy and supporting the career development of the whole customs organisation. With this training, participants are expected to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills on HRD to further implement it in their customs administrations to improve the HRD aspect in their own context.
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