On 28 November 2023, the Customs Administration of Peru (SUNAT) and the SECO-WCO Global Trade Facilitation Programme (GTFP) held their fifth National Programme Steering Committee (NPSC) meeting to present the progress during the current year and highlight the successful results of the fully-fledged intervention within the GTFP Phase I initiated in October 2019. The NPSC meeting took place in Lima, Peru, bringing together the Committee members from the SUNAT, the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) in Peru, representatives from the Ministry of Economy and Finance and the Peruvian Chamber of Commerce, and the GTFP Team.
Throughout the meeting, the Customs Superintendent appreciated the technical assistance provided by the World Customs Organization (WCO) under the SECO-WCO GTFP, which played a crucial role in SUNAT's modernization process, positioning it as a regional leader.
After four years of dedicated work, SUNAT achieved 100% of the agreed outcomes, showcasing notable trade facilitation and organizational development successes. Highlights included the implementation of coordinated border management procedures and a remarkable reduction in average import clearance times from 79.2 hours in 2019 to an impressive 32 hours as of September 2023, as revealed in the latest Time Release Study (TRS) conducted with the support of the SECO-WCO GTFP.
According to the Trade Facilitation Indicators of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) for 2022, Peru has shown improvements in various vital areas. These include increased engagement with the business community, simplification and harmonization of documents, optimization of procedures, and enhanced cooperation among national authorities impacting the borders. Peru's overall score has risen, reflecting the country's commitment to continuous trade facilitation.
The WCO and SECO extend their gratitude to the government of Peru, and particularly SUNAT, for their unwavering support and commitment to the SECO-WCO Global Trade Facilitation Programme (GTFP) over the past five years.
For more information on the GTFP, please contact capacity.building@wcoomd.org