The first webinar organised by the Regional Customs Laboratory (RCL) of Peru “Extraction and analysis of samples of metalliferous ores concentrates” was held online 25 – 26 March 2021.

It was attended by more than 100 participants, mostly customs chemists, from 19 Member countries from the Americas and the Caribbean region.

The Deputy Secretary General of the WCO, Mr. Ricardo Treviño, Ms. Marilú Llerena Deputy National Superintendent of Peruvian Customs and the Vice Chair for the Americas and the Caribbean Region, Mr. Werner Ovalle participated in the opening ceremony.

The Deputy Secretary General emphasised the evolution of the Customs laboratories role, starting with their core function on identification and correct classification of goods for payment of duties and highlighting also its role in protection of the society.  He highlighted the importance of customs laboratories in the current facilitation and control of COVID-19 vaccines flow.

WCO`s Secretariat raised awareness to participants on the existing WCO tools available for Customs Laboratories on the WCO website. Experts from RCL Peru showed participants different procedures for the extraction, handling, preparation and analysis of samples of metalliferous ores concentrates such as copper, lead and zinc, as well as steel sheets.

During the closing ceremony, the Director of Tariff and Trade Affairs Directorate, Mr. Konstantinos Kaiopoulos congratulated RCL Peru, on both the excellent organisation of the event and the high-level, quality presentations that will contribute to enhance the analytical capacity of the laboratories of the region.

At the closing of the event, Ms. Marilú Llerena, Deputy National Superintendent of Customs, highlighted that the Customs Laboratory of SUNAT was recognised as RCL in December 2020, committing itself to share its best practices, experiences and expertise at regional level.