Meeting of the Multilateral Agreement on Mutual Assistance for Directors General of Latin America, Spain and Portugal (COMALEP)

Punta del Este, 25-27 April 2012

Report

The Deputy Secretary General of the WCO, Sergio Mujica, attended the XXXIII Meeting of the Multilateral Agreement on Mutual Assistance for Director Generals of Customs of Latin America, Spain and Portugal (COMALEP), held in Punta del Este, Uruguay, from 25-27 April 2012, at the invitation of Enrique Canon, the Director General of Uruguay Customs.

The opening ceremony was chaired by Fernando Lorenzo, Uruguay’s Minister of Economy and Finance, and included opening remarks from Gerardo Perdomo Sanciprian, Secretary of COMALEP and Director General of Mexico Customs, the Director General of Uruguay Customs, and the Deputy Secretary General of the WCO.

The first day of the meeting was co-organized with the Conference of Directors General of Customs from the Americas and Caribbean Region which was also attended by representatives from the main private sector organizations in region. The main topics discussed during this joint meeting included partnerships with business on AEO programmes and IPR protection.

During the COMALEP meeting several panel sessions were held covering important topics, such as Customs cooperation, information exchange, and best practices on Customs valuation, among others. On this occasion, the Deputy Secretary General made a presentation on the main actions carried out by the WCO for COMALEP members, including career development opportunities and capacity building activities.