The World Customs Organization (WCO) dedicated International Customs Day (ICD) 2023 to “Nurturing the Next Generation: Promoting a Culture of Knowledge-sharing and Professional Pride in Customs”.
On 26 January 2023, the global Customs community celebrated International Customs Day, which is dedicated to recognising Customs administrations’ critical efforts to support their people, nations and the world. International Customs Day in 2023 also focuses on Customs officers of the future by encouraging knowledge-sharing and heightening the sense of belonging to the global Customs community. This year’s theme acknowledges efforts to place human capital, and especially the new and next generations, at the heart of WCO’s transformative process. The WCO calls for all of us to:
- Nurture the next generation of customs officer and the need to empower and protect through knowledge management and the importance of their role and contribution, as well as how it connects to the organizations vision and mission.
- Strengthen the organizational culture and knowledge management that supports knowledge-sharing in order to achieve our strategic objectives; and
- Promote professional pride in Customs, based on a long history of contributing to nation building, facilitating economic links between countries and protecting citizens from illicit trade.
By continuing to foster a workplace that supports employees and establishes a knowledge-sharing culture, Customs administrations can strengthen trust with industry, other agencies and international partners, and thereby further motivate and cultivate a strong sense of belonging, pride and professionalism.
