Latin American Customs brokers recognize the WCO’s leadership in fostering cooperation

Argentina, 7-9 November 2012

Report

At the invitation of the President of the Association of Professional Customs Brokers of the Americas (ASAPRA), Alejandro Ramos, the Deputy Secretary General of the WCO, Sergio Mujica, attended ASAPRA’s 43rd General Assembly in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 7-9 November 2012 to discuss the past, present and future of Customs Brokers.

At the invitation of the President of the Association of Professional Customs Brokers of the Americas (ASAPRA), Alejandro Ramos, the Deputy Secretary General of the WCO, Sergio Mujica, attended ASAPRA’s 43rd General Assembly in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 7-9 November 2012 to discuss the past, present and future of Customs Brokers.

During the opening ceremony, the President of ASAPRA recognized the WCO's leadership in fostering a positive environment that promotes Customs modernization and the increasing level of cooperation between the WCO and ASAPRA. President Ramos especially thanked the Secretary General of the WCO, Kunio Mikuriya, for having accepted to host the next General Assembly of ASAPRA at WCO Headquarters in September 2013.

In his key note address, the Deputy Secretary General presented the WCO’s main activities and developments over the past year, emphasizing the Economic Competitiveness Package recently adopted by the WCO Council and its Action Plan which will be presented to the WCO Policy Commission for approval during their meeting in Kyoto, Japan in December 2012.

The main topics discussed during the meeting were the past, present and future of Customs brokers, the importance of legal compliance in international trade, Customs-business partnerships, and today’s economic and technological trends. A panel discussion among Director Generals of Customs in the region was also held, highlighting the main modernization projects being developed and implemented across Latin America.