At the invitation of the Americas and Caribbean region, WCO Secretary General Dr. Kunio Mikuriya attended the Heads of Customs Meeting of the Americas and Caribbean (AMS) Region, held in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic on 18 and 19 May 2023. Secretary General Mikuriya, together with Ms. Martha Elba Garamendi Espinoza, the Vice Chair of the AMS region and Deputy National Superintende of Customs of SUNAT, Peru, and Mr. Eduardo Sanz Lovatón, Director General of the Dominican Republic Customs, opened the conference. Dr. Mikuriya thanked the Vice Chair and the Dominican Republic for organizing the first in-person regional meeting since 2019.
After Secretary General Mikuriya’s address on the Future of Customs, the Meeting organized a series of panel sessions on human resource management, gender equality and diversity, revenue collection, resilience, green customs, disruptive technology, modernization and cooperation to share best practices. The Directors General also heard the report on the WCO Capacity Building and WCO regional entities, as well as the proposed WCO budget for the next year.
The participants appreciated the opportunity to exchange views in person and the hospitality of the Dominican Republic.