Managua, 23-17 October 2017

At the request of Nicaragua Customs Administration the WCO organized a 5 day workshop on the Time Release Study (TRS) methodology.  Approximately 40 participants attended the program in representation of the national trade community involved in the flow process of cargo subject to international trade, including Customs, ISAP and the national policy.  During the official opening, by Director of Operations, Ms. Johanna Torres, the importance of TRS to Nicaragua was noted in light of Customs’ recently launched reform and modernization programme. 

As part of the workshop, the Experts and Participants visited one of the Nicaragua Customs operation stations which handles the operation of cargo arriving in Nicaragua by air as mode of Transport. In general terms, with the visit participants arrive to the conclusion that TRS can potential be a value added to further improve the situation in respect of those procedures not only related to the Customs by to the other trade stakeholders as well.

Towards the end of the workshop, the participants drafted two important documents, namely a tentative TRS action plan for which will be used by future national TRS Working Group and a report of the work done during the workshop. As per the Action Plan.  Participants envisaged that Nicaragua is likely to conduct a TRS next year with involvement of relevant trade stakeholders.

The workshop was funded as a complementary activity to the WCO-Norad Customs Capacity Building Project 2012-17, which has been supporting the implementation of a Pilot AEO Programme in Nicaragua.  The Project aims at delivering technical assistance to seven countries: Timor-Leste, Liberia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Rwanda, Tanzania and Vietnam.  For more information, please contact the Project Manager, Ms. Andrea Hampton (Andrea.Hampton@wcoomd.org)