CAREC Time Release Study Planning Workshop

This planning workshop served to prepare customs officials on how to conduct a time release study (TRS) and analyze the data collected. The TRS is a World Customs Organization (WCO) methodology that provides a snapshot of the effectiveness of customs administrative procedures and allows customs authorities to identify where the bottlenecks are and design reforms to address the identified constraints. The TRS aims to

  • support preparation of the Regional Improvement of Border Services Project, which will improve border-crossing points, help CAREC countries develop national single window facilities, and enhance interconnectivity and inter-operability of national single windows regionally;
  • complement the CAREC Corridor Performance Measurement and Monitoring Project, and contribute to the overall CAREC results framework; and
  • serve as a tool to measure results of customs authorities’ initiatives in streamlining policies and procedures.

Experiences of Singapore and of Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area in conducting TRS were shared with the participants. WCO’s model terms of reference and other materials for the TRS were presented to serve as a basis for CAREC customized TORs and materials. Participants also experienced a hands-on training session on the WCO TRS software.

Other items discussed included: improving the survey questionnaire; translating the TRS software into Russian; and advisory assistance and training to improve capacities of CAREC customs in conducting TRS. The results of the TRS exercise will be reported at the 2011 annual meeting of the Customs Cooperation Committee, CAREC Senior Officials’ Meeting, and the Ministerial Conference.

Event Materials

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