From March 27 to 30, the Paraguay Customs Office hosted a meeting on the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway, which was organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the World Customs Organization (WCO).
This was announced on Tuesday (04.04.2023) by the Embassy of the United Kingdom in Paraguay, who provided support for the meeting, which Delegations from the Customs of Uruguay and Argentina attended.
The objective was to carry out a Discussion and field survey of the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway, to address the challenges facing countries in the region, the protection and stimulation of legal trade, and projections on measures to discourage illicit trafficking.
The agency noted that “the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway accounts for approximately 90% of Paraguay's containerized cargo destined for or originating from overseas, so container control and exchange between customs in the region is crucial to protect river traffic and respond to illicit activity.”
The delegations visited the port terminals of the National Navigation and Port Administration (ANNP), Puerto Seguro Fluvial, Terport and the Paraguayan Customs Scanning Center in the area, located in Villeta (45 km from Asunción). They shared their experience with logistics operators and local public authorities, and witnessed first-hand the realities, forecasts and tasks of the sector.
Additionally, there was a tour of the ports in the central area: Caacupemí, Puertos y Estibajes de Fénix, and San José de Empedril – an area of influence of the capital – for a geographical and contextual recognition of their locations.
“Stimulating safe and agile trade must be the premise of public and private actors, national and international,” said the Director of Customs of Paraguay, Julio Fernandez, pointing out the relevance of the meeting.
In the conclusions, "those present encouraged the holding of regular activities in the Southern Cone, to bring positions closer together and make possible common strategies and operations in order to safeguard safe international trade and the fulfillment of the expectations of all parties, both public and private," the embassy said in the statement.
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