The chips are on the board in Latin America and the Caribbean. The region is moving steadily towards digitalisation for greater trade facilitation. The Deputy Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO), Ricardo Treviño Chapa, urged customs administrations to continue working together for “a more digital, competitive and integrated region” during the meeting of Directors General of Customs held on 16 November 2020.
The WCO's message is clear in the press releaseAt the beginning of the meeting, Werner Ovalle Ramírez, Regional Vice President of the organization and General Director of Customs of Guatemala, presented to the 25 Customs officials an executive report on the various activities carried out by the region during the period from June to November 2020. He also presented the achievements of the Central American Regional Study on Temporary Releases (TRS) and the results of the meetings held with regional organizations. He also referred to the conclusions of the webinar entitled "COVID-19 Situation and Containment: Measures and Best Practices for Biosecurity", as well as to the networks that had been developed.
The WCO's support for these operations was expressed by Treviño's congratulations to the Vice President for his excellent management. The institution shared information with the audience on the topics included in the agenda for the next sessions of the WCO Policy Commission and Council.
Agreed points
The participants agreed on the following requests from Customs:
- Argentina requested the status of “OMA Regional Dog Training Center” for its current Training Center.
- Peru requested the status of “WCO Regional Customs Laboratory” for its Central Laboratory, as well as the reactivation of the Regional Strategy for Authorized Economic Operators.
- Guatemala presented its first newsletter, which this time focuses on a specific country in the region: Honduras. It also invited all countries in the region to provide information for future editions of the newsletter.
The administrators, under the direction of the WCO, agreed to give a new impetus to the modernization of customs management to facilitate trade, a fundamental role for the competitiveness, growth and development of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Aduana News is the first Argentine customs newspaper to launch its digital version. With 20 years of experience, its publications and initiatives aim to provide the most relevant knowledge on customs issues in order to contribute to safe trade in the region.
