From February 22-23, 2017, CLDP conducted a workshop on government ethics for Kosovo Customs in Pristina, Kosovo, which brought together 45 customs officials of various ranks and specializations, from heads of sector to customs officers stationed at border crossing points. During the workshop, CLDP worked with Kosovo Customs to develop anti-corruption strategies and implement a comprehensive integrity program. The workshop explored the impact of corruption on trade and investment, and discussed ethics as a tool to prevent corruption. It also introduced international best practices of government ethics, as well as specific customs mechanisms and procedures to minimize opportunities for corruption.

For this workshop, CLDP called upon the expertise of the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC)’s Office of Ethics and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)'s Office of Professional Responsibility. DOC Office of Ethics Senior Attorney Dana Jacob spent the first day of the program reviewing the impact of corruption on development, and introduced workshop participants to ethics best practices and prevention tools utilized in the United States. This portion featured a side-by-side comparison of U.S. government, Kosovo Customs, and World Customs Organization (WCO) policies as they relate to ethics. On day two, CBP expert Edmund Estrada (Acting Deputy Director for Field Operations, Office of Professional Responsibility) presented in-depth information on customs mechanisms to minimize opportunities for corruption, ways to establish anti-corruption divisions within the agency, and awareness-raising campaigns both within and outside the agency. The workshop also featured opening remarks from U.S. Embassy Pristina Charges d'Affairs Colleen Hyland, as well as recently-appointed Director General of Kosovo Customs Bahri Berisha. Director General Berisha's comments at the workshop were his first public remarks since being appointed to his new position.

This workshop aimed to support Kosovo Customs in the implementation and enforcement of government ethics and integrity programs, as well as promote public awareness of the agency’s efforts to decrease corruption. This training represents one part of CLDP's multi-year technical assistance to Kosovo Customs. Not long after the conclusion of this workshop, Kosovo's Prime Minister, Isa Mustafa, and Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj announced that Kosovo Customs had become a full member of the WCO. WCO accession is a major step for Kosovo Customs, which had been seeking WCO membership since 2011.