At the invitation of Mr. José Armando Flores, Director General of Customs of El Salvador, the WCO attended the "Launch Ceremony of the Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) Programme" in San Salvador, El Salvador, on 28 September 2018.

During the opening statement Mr. Flores and the Vice Minister of Economy stressed the importance of AEO to enhance trade facilitation and security, and expressed their commitment to continue implementing trade facilitation measures including joining the Central American Customs Union with Honduras and Guatemala.

The representative of the WCO delivered an opening speech on the importance of AEO Programmes and other international initiatives, the vital role of the private sector, the impact of AEO in promoting global trade and took the opportunity to congratulate El Salvador for the implementation of these trade facilitation measures.

The event was attended by more than 80 participants, primarily from the private sector, but also included the Head of Customs of Honduras, the Heads of AEO Programmes in Central America and the Dominican Republic, representatives from the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) and the International Monetary Fund, CAPTAC-DR. They all congratulated El Salvador on the launch of the AEO Programme, emphasizing its contribution to enhancing El Salvador competitiveness in global trade. This will constitute the 17th operational AEO Programme in the Americas and the Caribbean Region.