The Trade and Compliance Institute (TCI) concluded its 2025 webinar series with a high-impact technical panel focused on the key tools that define the future of trade facilitation in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The event, moderated by María Elsa Coronel, TCI Focal Point in ArgentinaThe seminar brought together experts from ECLAC and UNCTAD to analyze the synergies between the UN Global Survey 2025 diagnostic tool and the UNCTAD Reform Tracker's reform management framework. The seminar demonstrated how integrating these tools allows countries in the region not only to measure their progress but also to accelerate the coordinated implementation of their modernization agendas.
Coronel highlighted that this event concludes a series of three webinars that addressed crucial issues for the region, beginning with "Methodological Synergies in the Implementation and Evaluation of Single Windows" and followed by an analysis of the "Perspectives of the B-READY 2024 Report." This final meeting reinforces the TCI's commitment to building a secure and reliable network to strengthen Latin America's participation in international standards, addressing the challenges of integration, customs modernization, and digitalization.
The Regional Diagnosis: Results of the UN Global Survey 2025
Sebastian HerrerosThe Economic Affairs Officer of the Office of the Executive Secretary of ECLAC presented a detailed analysis of the results of the UN Global Survey 2025 for Latin America. This survey, a joint project of the five UN regional commissions and UNCTAD, monitors the implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) and other cutting-edge measures in more than 170 countries.
Herreros explained that trade facilitation aims to simplify, modernize, and harmonize procedures, and that "paperless trade" is the digital vehicle for achieving this. He emphasized that the Latin America and Caribbean region, with an average implementation score of 73%, is slightly above the global average of 71%. Countries like Peru, which leads the regional ranking with 87%, along with Costa Rica, Colombia, and Mexico, demonstrate significant progress, with rates exceeding 80% in key measures such as electronic document submission, risk management, and the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) program.
Despite these achievements, significant challenges remain. Measures such as aligning border crossing hours (72%) and cross-border electronic information exchange (around 50%) show slower progress. Geographically, while South America and Mexico demonstrate almost universal implementation of many reforms, several Central American and especially Caribbean economies lag behind, requiring technical and financial assistance to move forward. Herreros concluded by emphasizing the need to balance facilitation with other public policy objectives, such as combating illicit trade, and the importance of complementing advances in digitalization (“soft side”) with improvements in physical infrastructure (“hard side”).
«In summary, the region is above the global average in implementing the Trade Facilitation Agreement, but progress is uneven both thematically and geographically. The area where we lag furthest is in the digitization of documents and procedures, and particularly in cross-border electronic exchange. To close this gap, it is essential to advance the implementation, scaling up, and interoperability of Single Windows for Foreign Trade. Especially for the small Caribbean economies, this will require carrying out these reforms and providing technical and financial assistance. » (Sebastián Herreros)
The Tool for Action: The UNCTAD Reform Tracker
Pamela Ugaz, A UNCTAD trade facilitation specialist presented the UNCTAD Reform Tracker, software designed to help National Trade Facilitation Committees (NTFCs) manage, coordinate, and monitor the implementation of reforms in a sustainable and collaborative manner. The tool arose from the real needs of countries during the pandemic, seeking to centralize information and ensure project continuity despite staff turnover.
Ugaz demonstrated live how the Reform Tracker functions as a digital platform that integrates the public and private sectors. Using the cases of Ecuador and Honduras, he explained that the tool allows for assigning specific tasks to individuals and agencies, setting deadlines, monitoring compliance indicators, and centralizing all relevant documentation. This approach not only improves coordination but also increases transparency, as both public sector representatives and supervisors and managers can verify progress in real time and approve task completion, automatically updating the country's progress percentage.
Finally, Ugaz emphasized that the Reform Tracker is more than just a monitoring tool; it is an ecosystem that fosters collaboration and resource mobilization. By clearly identifying gaps and needs, countries can more effectively submit requests for technical and financial assistance to donors. He announced that UNCTAD is already working with SIECA to develop the first regional tracker, a crucial step toward harmonizing trade facilitation strategies in Central America.
«This tool helps manage and monitor trade facilitation reforms, which are inherently cross-cutting. […] We realized there was a lot of turnover on the committees, and when a new person arrived, it took a long time to integrate them. The Reform Tracker makes this integration much easier by centralizing all the information, contributing to long-term monitoring. It also encourages collaboration between the public and private sectors.«. (Pamela Ugaz)
A Closing for a New Beginning
This webinar was the closing event in a series of three events organized by the TCI during 2025. first webinarThe study, "Methodological Synergies in the Implementation and Evaluation of One-Stop Shops," laid the groundwork for the importance of a holistic approach to these projects. second, "Boosting Foreign Trade in LAC: Perspectives from the B-READY 2024 Report" explored the World Bank's new framework for assessing the business climate.
This final panel has closed the cycle by connecting diagnosis with action, demonstrating that Latin America has powerful tools to transform data into effective and sustainable reforms.
Published notea By Customs News. Original content from the Trade and Compliance Institute (TCI)
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.
