From February 7 to 9, during the Workshop on Effective Communication in Ashgabat, the EU funded BOMCA 10 Programme presented the pilot version of the Mobile Application developed in cooperation with the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan for the Working Group members and the State Customs Service representatives working in the regions, including border areas.

Moreover, in the Workshop, the State Customs Service employees improved their competencies in effective communication with the population and in media relations as well as developed a dedicated Communications plan to raise awareness on customs rules and procedures guided by experts. The scenario for the Mobile Application promotional video and the concept of the information banners were also drafted to be further produced for raising awareness about the use of the Mobile Application.

The development of the Mobile Application as well as the Workshop were part of the BOMCA Component 4 Action Plan for Turkmenistan “Raising public awareness on customs procedures through wide use of IT solutions in border areas”. The conducted activity contributes to the Component’s overall aim to improve cross-border cooperation for better living conditions in border areas through local economic development focusing on human rights, gender equality and support to vulnerable groups.