In November 2021, the Customs Institute of the State Customs Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan was awarded with a professional standards recognition certificate of the World Customs Organization (WCO), in accordance with the PICARD Programme (Partnership in Customs Academic Research and Development).

PICARD standards are international benchmarks for training specialists in the field of customs, which were developed in 2005 by the WCO and a network of international customs universities. 

The international accreditation of the Uzbek Customs Institute's educational programme strengthens scientific cooperation with academic circles abroad, develops the academic mobility of teachers and students, strengthens the Institute’s position in the international education market, including contributing to the Institute’s reputation as a center of international customs education programmes in Central Asia.

The BOMCA Programme actively supported the Uzbek Customs Institute in the process of achieving WCO recognition. In the earlier phase experts from Riga Technical University, the consortium partner, delivered technical advisory support to the Customs Institute in Uzbekistan by analysing existing customs education and training systems and developing recommendations for fine-tuning academic curricula, in the key relevant are as to align them with the WCO PICARD professional standards.

“BOMCA has contributed to the integration of the Uzbek Customs Institute into the International educational market and academic mobility of its staff, which is an outstanding achievement”.

Normunds Rudzitis, International Business and Customs Institute, Riga Technical University

Remarkably, the educational programmes of the 13 higher education institutions in just 10out of the 183 WCO member countries are accredited in accordance with PICARD standards today. The accreditation of the Uzbek Customs Institute’s educational field "Customs" provides recognition of the training competitiveness of its personnel internationally.