RESTRICTEDWORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/C/W/263
7 May 2001
(01-2314)
Council for Trade in Goods Original:  English
DELIVERY OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND
CAPACITY BUILDING IN TRADE FACILITATION
Australian Customs Experience
I. INTRODUCTION
The Australian Customs Service (ACS) Technical Assistance Program aims to assist less
developed countries to modernise and reform their customs processes and procedures whilst ensuring
consistency with WTO and Worl d Customs Organisation (WCO)1 conventions and principles. We
ensure that any assistance provided is consistent with and complementary to Australia’s overall
international aid objectives.
II. BACKGROUND
The ACS has historically undertaken an extensive program of international technical
assistance. This program has reflected the Australian Government’s overall foreign aid and assistance
priorities, with a primary focus on the Asia Pacific region.
Most of this assistance directly contributes to improvements in th e international trade
environment by facilitating the movement of goods. The improvements to processes and procedures
which result from the delivered assistance increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the
organisation.  Expected outcomes are also consistent with the reform and modernisation agenda being
undertaken by many customs administrations.
Requests for assistance are received from a number of different sources including:- individual customs administrations;
- multilateral bodies such as the (UNCTAD/ WTO/WCO/APEC
2);
- other Australian government agencies;
- educational institutions such as Universities; and
- the private sector.
                                                     
1 Most areas of technical assistance delivered by the ACS directly contribute to assisting
administrations comply with provisions contained within the revised Kyoto Convention. The General Annex ofthe revised Kyoto Convention covers many of the efficiency issues required to address the modernisation andreform agenda of Customs administrations,  which aim to facilitate international trade. Other WCO conventions
cover: the Harmonised System (HS), Integrity (Arusha), and Rules of Origin.
2 Asia Pacific Econ omic Cooperation . A forum of 21 economies with a goal of free and open trade in
the Asia Pacific region.G/C/W/263
Page 2
III. IDENTIFICATION OF NEEDS AND TARGETING OF ASSISTANCE
In determining which countries will be the primary focus of ACS technical assistance the
following factors are considered:
- strategic relationship to Australia in the context of international travel and trade;
- trading relationship with Australia;
- customs to customs relationship;
- political relationship with Australia;
- geographic position in relation to Australia;
- overall need of the customs administration; and
- political issues.
The ACS also needs to determine the priority customs areas for delivery of assistance.
Factors to be considered here include:
- the specific needs of customs administrations;
- the risk to Australia presented by poor processes and procedures in a particular
customs area;
- the number of countries requiring assistance in a particular area;
- the resources and expertise of Australian Customs in a particular area; and
- priorities set by international customs forums.
The WCO has developed its own method for identification of the needs of customs
administrations, the Customs Reform and Modernisation (CRM) Program.  The approach is aimed at
allowing administrations to determine their needs across the range of Customs functions through a
diagnostic study process which is carried out with the senior management of the administration.  Itaims to stop the practice of administrations accepting technical assistance, regardless of the need or
suitability, merely because it is offered.
Australian government and international agencies involved in development cooperation have
the same broad objective:
to promote sustainable development in designated countries by assisting
their governments and regional organisations through delivery of highquality development programs.
The more specific objective of the ACS is:
to contribute to the implementation of the government’s foreign
policy and trade objectives by harmonising and improvinginternational customs procedures to enhance the global trading
environment.
IV. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROVIDED BY THE ACS
Technical assistance delivered by the ACS has included:
- training provided by the ACS to overseas administrations conducted either within
Australia or within the requesting country;
- training needs analyses undertaken in overseas administrations by ACS officers;G/C/W/263
Page 3
- aspects of technical assistance projects undertaken by consultants under contract to
the ACS;
- presentation of lectures or seminars by the ACS to overseas administrations
conducted either within Australia or within the requesting country;
- hosting study tours or attachments;- participating in the delivery of external programs;
- short and long term attachment of ACS officers to overseas administrations or
organisations, including fellowships;
- reviewing procedures/legislation of overseas Customs administrations and advising
on change implementation strategies;
- the funding of positions in multilateral forums;
- provision of general Customs expertise to AusAID
3, UNDP, regional Customs
administrations and for projects like ASYCUDA;
- joint delivery of technical assistance with other agencies;
- the provision of ACS documentation to customs administrations undertaking reforms;
- development of software, systems or proc edures for other customs administrations;
and
- Hosting and sponsoring participants from regional administrations to attend the
Customs International Executive Management Program (CIEMP).
V. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROVIDED THROUGH AUSAID
Many of the programs funded by AusAID which are aimed at institutional strengthening or
public sector capacity building incorporate a customs reform aspect.
Australian aid is focused predominantly in the Pacific and Asia region. AusAID provides
funds for the delivery of technical assistance to countries in the South Pacific, which includes
assistance to customs administrations.  AusAID delivers Australia’s bilateral aid through its countryprogram, which is based on a strategy aimed at matching recipient country interests and needs with
Australia’s objectives and capacity to assist.
VI. ASSISTANCE UNDER THE APEC SUB-COMMITTEE ON CUSTOMS
PROCEDURES (SCCP) COLLECTIVE ACTION PLAN
A large percentage of assistance delivered by the ACS is under the APEC SCCP’s Collective
Action Plan (CAP). This includes work programs where the ACS provides ‘experts’ to delivertechnical assistance and other programs where Australia is the project coordinator and, where the
necessary expertise does not reside within the ACS, manages the delivery of assistance through
consultants.
The SCCP’s CAP aims to facilitate trade by simplifying and harmonising customs
procedures, in support of the APEC goal of achieving free and open trade.  To achieve this the SCCP
has aligned its CAP with the provision of the revised Kyoto Convention on the simplification and
harmonisation of customs procedures.  The APEC approach also relies upon recipients of assistance
reporting on the outcomes of assistance activities, which are reviewed and assessed by the project
coordinators.
Most of this assistance is funded through the APEC Trade and Investment Liberalisation and
Facilitation (TILF) Fund with donor administrations making suitably qualified staff available and
covering administrative overheads. The ACS has been involved in delivering assistance under most of
the SCCP’s 13 CAP item most notably;
                                                     
3 Australia’s Agency for International Development.G/C/W/263
Page 4
- Risk Management;
- WTO Valuation Agreement;
- Adoption of the Harmonised System (HS) Convention of Tariff Classification;
- Provisions for temporary importations;
- Express consignment clearance;- Adoption of the WTO Trade Related Intellectual Property (TRIPS) agreement; and
- Integrity.
VII. RECOMMENDED APPROACH
The Australian Customs Service considers that a strategic and planned approach is required to
improve the delivery of technical assistance as it relates to trade facilitation (customs procedures).  It
should be consistent with existing international conventions, including the Kyoto Convention.  Suchan approach would seek to:
- ensure better integration of resources;
- avoid duplication of delivery; and
- better meet the needs of beneficiaries.
At a regional level the Australian Customs Service is working with other enforcement
agencies to develop a more strategic approach. A number of these initiatives can be translated from a
regional setting to a global approach:
- Develop a cohesive framework of training and technical assistance activities which
tie in with other international assistance frameworks such as APEC and ASEAN as
well as the WTO's Integrated Framework;
- Promote the use of regional strategic plans as both a coordinating mechanism for
participating administrations and also an opportunity to define technical assistanceobjectives the region;
- Exchange information between donor/delivery agencies to enable a shared
understanding of each other's mandates and training and technical assistance
activities;
- Agencies and organisations to consider the possibility of specific joint training and
technical assistance activities;
- Explore the feasibility of developing regional training packages;- Develop a register of training providers;
- Establish a website that details training and technical assistance activities within the
Pacific region;
- Promote the use of benchmarking against international rather than regional standards
(this would include Kyoto, Arusha, ROO etc);
- Promote the requirement for a more clea r-cut commitment to implement change by
recipient administrations;
- Improve the selection of training participants for further development and investment;
- Improve the reporting systems for training;
- Ensure technical assistance has financial, economic and legal sustainability prior to
delivery.
__________