In cooperation with the Egyptian Customs Authority (ECA) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), CLDP and the Office of the Assistant General Counsel for Administration organized workshops devoted to combating corruption for over 150 mid-level ECA staff in Alexandria, Port Said, and Cairo on January 9-16. The workshops support the ECA’s implementation of a comprehensive integrity program, to include the adoption of Ethics rules and guidelines, as well as a plan to engage key stakeholders.

Workshops were led by Assistant General Counsel for Administration Barbara Fredericks, Chief of the General Law Division in the Office of the Assistant General Counsel for Administration Elise Packard, Employment and Labor Law Division Deputy Chief John Guenther, and Senior Counsel for Ethics Arthur Warren.

Through consultations and trainings, Commerce is assisting the Egyptian Customs Authority in:

• Program implementation, including 1) mechanisms to evaluate whether rules are followed, 2) a procedure for whistle-blowers to report wrong doing, and 3) transparency of operations
• Roll out of the new implementation policy to stakeholders and appeal for continuing stakeholder support
• Designing a training plan for all employees, where trainers train employees and managers together at the sites of their work.

On January 17, CLDP co-sponsored a large conference for the ECA Integrity Plan Roll-out and for stakeholder engagement.