In the context of a major expansion of physical merchandise trade promoted by cross-border e-commerce, more than 70 participants from 20 customs administrations in the Americas and Caribbean region strengthened their capacity to ensure the legitimate movement of such trade with minimal intervention. This was achieved in the Workshop organized by the World Customs Organization (OMA) last week.
Su Deputy Secretary General, Ricardo Treviño Chapa, stressed that “the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the importance of Effective and harmonized implementation of the WCO Framework of Standards on Cross-Border Electronic Commerce (E-Commerce FoS, in English)”. He also pointed out the role of e-commerce over the last decade, as a new driver of growth and global economic opportunities for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises by stating: “Cross-border e-commerce proved to be a lifeline for suppliers and buyers alike during the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.”
In that sense, the Vice President for the Americas and the Caribbean of the WCO, Werner Ovalle Ramírez, stressed the importance of cross-border commercial electronic services for regional economic development and recognized the key role of the WCO in raising awareness and developing respective capacities.
With that spirit of openness, the Workshop trainers explained the 15 standards of the WCO Framework of Standards on Cross-Border Electronic Commerce and the tools available to support their implementation..
Practical examples of the implementation of this Regulatory Framework were provided in areas such as the use of advance electronic data, data exchange with postal operators and revenue collection, including valuation, post-clearance audit and recurring payment issues. Cooperation with stakeholders: markets, logistics centres, free zones and warehouses was also discussed.
Public administrations and e-commerce stakeholders in the Americas and Caribbean region have thus worked together to implement the standards contained in the Framework and to continue to make progress in both border management and trade facilitation.
The workshop was organized with financial support from the Korea Customs Cooperation Fund and brought together the Regional Intelligence Liaison Office of South America (RILO South America), the Universal Postal Union, the Global Express Association, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Amazon and UPS Brazil.Press release)
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