At the invitation of the Director General of Dominican Republic Customs, Mr. Enrique Ramírez Paniagua, in his capacity as Vice-Chair of the WCO Americas/Caribbean (AMS) region, WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya attended the XXII Regional Conference of Customs Directors General for the AMS, held in Asunción, Paraguay, on 29 and 30 April 2019.

The President of the Republic of Paraguay, Mr. Mario Abdo Benítez, attended the opening session to show his strong commitment to supporting Customs reform.  Dr. Mikuriya had a separate meeting with the President, at which he pledged the WCO’s support for improving the integrity and efficiency of Paraguay Customs.  The President emphasized the importance of Customs in Paraguay, as it collects 45% of State revenue, and expressed his appreciation for the WCO’s assistance.

The Regional Conference discussed a broad range of topics, including the WCO Strategic Plan, Performance Measurement, Trade Recovery and Small Island Economies.  Directors General of Customs also held breakout sessions to review the WCO Strategic Plan and consider regional priorities.  

Thanks to the financial assistance of the Caribbean Export Development Agency, facilitated by the Vice-Chair, a significant number of Caribbean Members participated in the Conference.

The participants as a whole expressed their thanks to the Director General of Paraguay Customs, Mr. Julio Fernández Frutos, and his team for the excellent organization of the Conference and the warm hospitality extended.