During the week of January 28 to February 1, the WCO facilitated a diagnostic mission of Customs and other border agencies of El Salvador, including a detailed assessment of its implementation of the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation (TFA), under the framework of WCO Mercator Programme.

The Mercator Programme aims to support WCO members to successfully implement the provisions of the TFA, through the effective application of WCO instruments, tools and utilization of the WCO’s extensive network of international customs experts.

The WCO team held meetings with a number of high level officials and staff, including the Director General of Customs, and members of the National Committee for Trade Facilitation (NCTF), who provided crucial information for the diagnostic assessment.

Prior to the mission, the WCO received a series of documents containing information pertaining to El Salvador Customs and international trade.  Based on these documents and other information obtained during the mission, the team successfully conducted an analysis of El Salvador’s implementation of Section I of the WTO TFA.

At the conclusion of the mission, the WCO provided preliminary results to senior management of El Salvador Customs, presenting the main findings, specific tailored recommendations classified by priority and the framework under which the WCO can continue helping the country on the road to full implementation of the WTO TFA Agreement.