Lima, 24-25 April 2014
At the invitation of Ms. Tania Quispe, Superintendente of the Customs and Revenue Administration of Peru, WCO Deputy Secretary General Sergio Mujica attended the XXXV Meeting of the Multilateral Agreement on Mutual Assistance for Director Generals of Customs of Latin America, Spain and Portugal (COMALEP), held in Lima, Peru, on 24 and 25 April 2014, immediately after the WCO Americas and Caribbean Customs Directors General Regional Conference.
The opening ceremony was chaired by Mr. Rafael García, Director General of Peru Customs, and included opening remarks from Alejandro Chacón, Secretary of COMALEP and Director General of Mexican Customs, as well as from the WCO Deputy Secretary General.
The first part 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 private sector organizations in the Region. The main topics discussed during this joint meeting included partnerships with business on AEO programmes, and the role of Customs brokers.
On the second day of the COMALEP meeting, several panel sessions were held covering important topics, including Customs cooperation, information exchange, and best practices on risk management. Deputy Secretary General Mujica made a presentation on the main actions carried out by the WCO for COMALEP members, including career development opportunities and capacity building activities.
As part of the conclusions of the COMALEP meeting, the Directors General from Latin America, Spain and Portugal agreed to send a letter to the World Trade Organization recommending that the WCO be invited to participate as permanent observer in the WTO Committee on Trade Facilitation, for the implementation of the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation.