6 November 2023 - on the opening day of the 32nd Revised Kyoto Convention Management Committee Meeting, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO), in his role as the depositary of the Convention, received the Instrument of Accession of the Republic of El Salvador to the International Convention on the Simplification and Harmonization of Customs Procedures (Revised Kyoto Convention) - RKC from Ms. Alejandra Giron, Chargée d'affaires, Embassy of El Salvador, Brussels, Belgium, at WCO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.
With this accession, the Republic of El Salvador becomes the 135th Contracting Party to the RKC.
During the accession ceremony, the Secretary General welcomed the Republic of El Salvador to the RKC family noting that by acceding to the RKC, El Salvador will serve as a notable example, not only for Central America, but also globally. He highlighted the continued innovation and modernization in El Salvador as well as deepened cooperation and coordination of the Customs Union between El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras which had improved their competitiveness and efficiency in revenue collection, trade facilitation, and risk management as well as protection of society from illicit trade.
Ms. Adriana Mira, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador, recalled that the accession, which was among the first in Central America, was a testament to their commitment to facilitate international trade and promote economic growth through modern and efficient Customs management. Expressing her sincere appreciation to the WCO for its continuous work in developing tools and Instruments, the Vice Minister concluded by stating that El Salvador had over the years carried out a series of reforms and substantial improvements in its Customs systems, with the aim of fostering an environment conducive to global trade.
Ms. Alejandra Giron, Chargée d'affaires, Embassy of El Salvador, Brussels, Belgium, expressed gratitude to the Trade Facilitation Program of the WCO and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs of Switzerland (WCO-SECO), for the technical support offered during the accession process.
The WCO Secretary General strongly encourages those eligible to become a Contracting Party to accede to the RKC as soon as possible, given this instrument’s significance for Customs, and above all to implement its provisions.