Study Guide

The WCO has developed a range of non‑prescriptive integrity‑related materials and tools to assist Customs administrations in implementing the provisions of the Revised Arusha Declaration. These include the WCO Integrity Action Plan, the Compendium of Integrity Best Practices, the Integrity Development Guide, and the Integrity Resource Centre. More recently, integrity support has also been strengthened through the WCO Anti‑Corruption and Integrity Promotion (A‑CIP) Program, which provides technical assistance and capacity building to participating administrations.

Across these programs, the onus remains on individual Customs administrations to design and implement integrity initiatives based on their own needs, risks, and national circumstances. Integrating the principles of the Revised Arusha Declaration is considered an essential part of any reform and modernization process. To this end, the WCO has ensured that integrity is:

•          a major chapter in the Capacity Building Diagnostic Framework
•          a key component of the self‑assessment checklists for the Framework of Standards to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade, which now specifies the need for a robust internal code of conduct
•          an integrated part of Diagnostic Workshops and Diagnostic Missions under the Mercator Program (launched in 2014), which recognizes that successful reform requires more than technical compliance — it demands ethical, transparent, and accountable customs administrations

The WCO’s approach reinforces that integrity is not an “add‑on” but a core pillar of effective reform, underpinning modernization efforts, digital transformation, and the credibility of Customs in the global trading system.