In celebration of the International Customs Day (ICD), observed 26th of January every year, Dubai Customs hosted a panel session that brought together some of DCs senior officials. Opening the panel session, His Excellency Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director of Dubai Customs, said: Our best efforts at Dubai Customs are dedicated toward meeting the goals of Dubai Plan 2021. Establishing a robust knowledge economy and further diversifying the national economy structure, as well as making Dubai the smartest city in the world are our major focus in the coming few years, in a bid to bolster foreign investments and maintain Dubais business appeal.

We are propelled by the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Stemming from His Highnesss Happiness Indicator initiative, we are fully committed to spreading happiness among our partners, clients, employees and the society at large. We managed to raise job satisfaction within DC from 71% in 2011, 2012 and 2013 to 86% in 2014. In terms of community satisfaction, we scored 90%; while our partners were 86% satisfied with our services and clients 83%, he added.

Ahmed Mahboob further noted that Dubai Customs Development Strategy is stimulated by a spirit of innovation, in response to His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyans directive to mark 2015 as the Year of Innovation, and the National Innovation Strategy, launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed. Dubai Customs has swept major local, regional and global awards in this field, such as the DGEP and Hamdan bin Mohammed Smart Government Award.

Reflecting on the international celebration, Dubai Customs Director stated: This year, the WCO is celebrating the International Customs Day under the theme Coordinated Border Management - An inclusive approach for connecting stakeholders. In line with this theme, we are gearing up towards closer partnerships with border management agencies, and we have already established a solid ground for cooperation with the WCO, GCC Customs Union and the Greater Arab Free Trade Area. We have also coordinated customs processes with local border management agencies to streamline our services to travellers and clients at all sea, air and land customs centres.

Presenting an in-depth look into DCs advanced IT infrastructure, the Executive Director of Customs Development Division, Juma Al Ghaith, said: We have come a long way in developing cutting-edge IT infrastructure in DC. We are the first fully smart government department in Dubai, delivering our entire array of customs services via smart phones and smart watches. Additionally, Dubai Customs was accoladed the DGEP Award for the Distinguished Technological Project category three times in a row, besides the Distinguished e-Government Entity Award in 2014.

Abdullah Al Khaja, Executive Director of Customer Management Division at DC, said: Dubai Customs managed to uplift the efficiency of inspections by deploying 55 world-class inspection devices at 23 Customs centres in Dubai. Achieving a higher level of synergy between Customs departments and centres has led to better delivery of services to customers. DC continues to uphold customer satisfaction by carefully catering to their needs and requirements, rolling out an array of exceptional customer service initiatives.

Butti Al Jumairi, Executive Director of Human Resources, Finance and Administration Division, underscored that Dubai Customs based on the multifaceted roles it serves in trade facilitation, supporting economic growth and protecting society pays great attention to improving its staffs working conditions and scaling up their capacities and professional skills through specialized training programs that are designed as per higher global standards. Furthermore, he added, DC is keen to foster an open door communication policy between employees and officials in order to encourage openness and increase job satisfaction. Such improvements resulted in a satisfaction rate as higher as 86% in 2014 according to a poll neutrally conducted by an external consultant.

The panel session witnessed active participation and interaction from the audience Many suggestions were put forth in relation to performance improvement and development enhancement. Dubai Customs ICD celebrations included playing a short film that depicted the journey of the WCO and ended with a word by the Secretary General of the WCO, Kunio Mikuriya, who spoke in brief about the theme they chose for the ICD.
Ibrahim Kamali, Senior Manager of Terminal 3 Customs Airport Operations and holder of the DGEPs Creative Employee Award 2014 and Best Service Center Manager Award in the 2014 edition of Hamdan bin Mohammed Smart Government Awards, showcased his personal experience on the pathway to excellence.