This technical assistance will help strengthen the Nepal Department of Customs' (DOC) capacity to execute reform measures aligned to the strategic priorities of the 4-year national strategy, the Customs Reform and Modernization Strategies and Action Plan (CRMSAP) 2017-2021.

The program will support the simplification, harmonization, and modernization of Nepal's trade processes to meet international standards. This will contribute to Nepal's national goals of promoting and diversifying exports, and help the country fulfill its commitments to the Trade Facilitation Agreement of the World Trade Organization and related international standards on Customs.

This regional technical assistance supports the operations of the Customs Subgroup of the SASEC Trade Facilitation Working Group, promotes experience and knowledge exchange on international best practice on Customs reform and modernization in South Asian countries, and helps develop a framework for interface of modern Customs administration systems between and among SASEC countries.

This technical assistance will help strengthen the technical and institutional capacity of Bhutan’s Customs through better alignment of procedures and practice with internationally accepted standards. It will also reduce time and cost of trade for Bhutan through reduction of import-export processes.

This technical assistance aims to create a modern Customs administration for Bangladesh through improved border clearance mechanisms and facilitation of trade information access for traders. It seeks to better align Bangladesh Customs procedures and practice with internationally accepted standards.