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Nepal’s Department of Customs (DOC)  conducted a national expert workshop on 19-21 August 2015 in Nagarkot, Nepal in collaboration with the World Customs Organization Asia Pacific Regional Office for Capacity Building (WCO ROCB A/P), to develop a model training course with an accompanying set of training materials.

Outcomes of the national expert workshop include:

• Observation of DOC processes and identification of areas for improvement to enhance capacity for correct Customs valuation control, ideally through post clearance audit (PCA).
• Agreed outline of the model training course and its training materials.
• Preparation of draft program and schedule for the second-round activity for Nepal Customs under the WCO-ADB multiyear initiative that will finalize the model training course and materials.

The new training course will support DOC’s experts in delivering effective and sustainable in-house training to improve Customs valuation control in Nepal, ideally through PCA and risk management. Six officials from DOC participated in the workshop, which was supported by technical expertise from WCO ROCB A/P and from Maldives Customs Service, and funded through technical assistance from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction, administered by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

In 2013, ADB and WCO ROCB A/P launched a joint subregional train-the-trainer on Customs valuation multiyear assistance initiative to support participating countries’ efforts to strengthen efficient management of Customs valuation control through the use of post-clearance audit. The first WCO-ADB Joint Subregional Workshop was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka in February 2014, and the second Joint Subregional Workshop was held in Male, the Maldives 22–24 October 2014. SASEC provides a regional platform for this multiyear initiative through implementation of the SASEC Trade Facilitation Strategic Framework, approved by members in 2014.

With guidance and assistance from WCO experts, the Joint Subregional Workshops enabled SASEC member countries to develop national action plans that identify prioritized measures to improve implementation of Customs valuation systems and ensure realistic and achievable goals for implementation. This national expert workshop helped DOC implement Nepal’s national action plan.