31 October 2010 - The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) is supporting the Afghan Customs Department with a package of training programmes in response to a request from the Government.

English language training is a core part of the package, and the first priority identified by the Ministry of Finance/Afghan Customs Department is to train a group of customs officers at the Customs headquarters and a group at the Kabul International Airport.

Customs officers at headquarters deal with trade documentation in English language on a daily basis, to facilitate the flow of trade in and out of country. Customs officers at the Airport are in the front line dealing both with the trading community as well as thousands of passengers. The Afghan Customs Department acknowledges that by improving the communication skills of its team, it is also improving its services.

The English language training is the first stage in a packet of trainings being prepared by Afghan trainers in the technical field of customs operations, as part of the UNOPS/ Takhar Border management project.

Areas of expertise for training include customs valuations, customs law, customs data and tariff codes. Within Takhar Border Management Project, UNOPS agreed to support the Knowledge Management Unit at the Customs headquarters team, a group of Afghan trainers who can provide the training opportunities within the Afghan Customs Department.

The Knowledge Management Unit complements the Customs academy supported by the international donors.