After the success of the first edition organised for the Europe region, the SECO-WCO Global Trade Facilitation Programme (GTFP) hosted a WCO Sub-regional Virtual Workshop on Integrity for the Spanish-speaking countries in the Americas and Caribbean region, from 7 to 9 March 2022.
Integrity is a topic of utter importance to all Customs Administrations, and the participants’ active and enthusiastic participation to this Workshop proved it. This Workshop reunited 100 participants from 18 countries in the Americas and Caribbean region, with the presence of panelists and moderators from member Customs Administrations not only from the region but also from Spain, international organisations, as well as a pool of WCO technical officers and experts.
This event was also an opportunity for the participants to be acquainted with the WCO’s Integrity instruments and to foster regional cooperation on Integrity. In that sense, participants were divided in group sessions to share current practices and identify common challenges encountered in the implementation of Transparency and Predictability measures in Customs. This group session’s purpose was to focus on exchanging experiences and develop capacities of Spanish-speaking Customs Administrations in the region more specifically on Transparency and Predictability of Cross Border transactions, which is key for trade facilitation and reduction of concealed business costs.
With these inputs, the SECO-WCO GTFP will put together a Map of Integrity Initiatives for the Americas and the Caribbean region. Once completed, the final product will be disseminated to the participants.
For more information on the GTFP, please, contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org.