The World Customs Organization (WCO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) jointly organized a National Workshop on Customs Valuation, which was held in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, from July 18  to 22, 2016. The Workshop was attended by 35 participants form the public and private sector. It took place at the headquarters of the Honduran National Business Council (COHEP), following a request from the Honduran Secretariat for Economic Development.

At the opening event, Ms. Carmen Romero, Deputy Director for Integration and Economic Policies, underlined the ongoing support from the WCO and the WTO in order to help them achieve their capacity building objectives, and thanked the representatives for the technical assistance provided via this Workshop. She also stressed the importance for the Honduran economy to determine Customs duties in a fair way, and expressed the need of the participants to learn and deepen their knowledge on the WTO Valuation Agreement, on both a theoretical and a practical level.

The Workshop was attended by Customs officials and officials from other Honduran government agencies, as well as Customs brokers, importers, scholars and Honduran foreign trade operators. During the Workshop, an extensive review of the valuation methods of the WTO Valuation Agreement was undertaken, which included practical exercises and the study of specific valuation cases presented by the participants.

The latest instruments adopted by the Technical Committee on Customs Valuation were also discussed, as well as the potential impact that the provisions of the new WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement will have in relation to Customs valuation matters.