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CAPACITY BUILDING IN PRACTICE: EXPERIENCES AND CHALLENGES MET World Trade Organization - Geneva

CAPACITY BUILDING IN PRACTICE: EXPERIENCES AND CHALLENGES MET World Trade Organization - Geneva. A presentation by Canada November 6-7, 2002. Overview. Canada’s experience What was missing? What was wrong? Adjustment in Canada’s approach - Why? Lessons learned

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CAPACITY BUILDING IN PRACTICE: EXPERIENCES AND CHALLENGES MET World Trade Organization - Geneva

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  1. CAPACITY BUILDING IN PRACTICE: EXPERIENCES AND CHALLENGES MET World Trade Organization - Geneva A presentation by Canada November 6-7, 2002

  2. Overview • Canada’s experience • What was missing? What was wrong? • Adjustment in Canada’s approach - Why? • Lessons learned • Donors and beneficiaries: possible avenues for change • What it means for beneficiaries/donors • An example

  3. Canada’s experience • Canada provides international technical assistance and capacity building • Valuation, Origin, HS • Valuation: • Assisted 15 countries since 1997 • 10 more countries planned in near future

  4. Canada’s traditional approach • In past, mostly technical assistance activities • One-off courses • Seminars • Minimal communication with other donors

  5. What was missing? What was wrong? • Needs analysis not thorough enough • Practical examples missing • Recipient infrastructure to sustain effort was weak • Inconsistency between messages of different trainers • Organization changes: trainees are displaced • Commitment and readiness for change lacking

  6. Adjustment in Canada’s approach - Why? • Need full commitment from recipient • Valuation agreement trade facilitating: need many stakeholders • Lasting change effort required • Recognize Impacts: customs, traders, other government departments • Need to identify challenges of implementation at the outset • Need to focus on ability of the beneficiaries to help themselves

  7. Lessons learned • Need to invest in capacity building • Create a Technical Assistance Framework • Assistance must be: • demand-driven • geared to capacity building • based on a plan • in partnership with recipient and stakeholders • Objectives must enhance capacity and ownership • Deliver through partnerships: regional, multilateral, bilateral • Involve business and other government departments

  8. Lessons learned • Assist recipients in assessing needs and priorities • Listen to recipients • Integrate in larger customs reform and modernization project • Use knowledge and skill transfer approaches • Encourage country to: • Develop staff and own expertise • Institutionalize through written policies/procedures • Partner with traders • Must conduct evaluation/post-implementation follow-up • No “one size fits all”

  9. Donors and beneficiaries: possible avenues for change • Framework for prioritizing demands • Multi-year plan • Structured approach of cooperation: traders, donors, recipients, international and regional organizations • More emphasis on beneficiary ownership in needs identification • Improve evaluation mechanisms

  10. What it means for beneficiaries • Taking more responsibility: • Place request in broader national context • Select appropriate staff involved in change effort • Involve private sector in implementation • Cascade knowledge and skills • Lead on implementation and monitoring of plans • Evaluate progress: peer assessments

  11. What it means for donors • Need to change approach: • Coordinate better – work with other donors • Adopt new principles: • Foster participation of stakeholders • Embrace capacity building • Improve own skills: building institutions, needs analysis, group facilitation • Systematic exchanges of each other’s programs and experiences • Invest in follow-up and evaluation

  12. An example • Customs Valuation: capacity building in APEC • Partnership: Australia, New Zealand, USA • Jointly planned, developed and implemented technical assistance and capacity building • Modular but comprehensive approach to knowledge and skills transfer • Needs analyzed using diagnostic tools • Obtained commitment for change at high level • Coordinated efforts; reduced costs and duplication • Worked with banker: APEC Secretariat

  13. An example (ctn’d) • Customs Valuation: capacity building in APEC • 3 Modules developed • Infrastructure of the Valuation Program • Complexities of the Agreement • Post-importation environment

  14. The way forward • Pursue aggressive timetable for a comprehensive capacity building strategy in customs valuation • More cooperation amongst donors • Define role of all partners and stakeholders in capacity building

  15. In short • Identification of needs + • Commitment to change = • Key to success

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