Partnership approach boosted with Customs brokers in Latin America

Lima, 26-27 October 2010

Report

Secretary General Mikuriya of the WCO accepted an invitation to attend the 41^st annual meeting of ASAPRA (Association of Professional Customs Agents in America) which was held in Lima, Peru on 26 and 27 October 2010 to enhance the Customs-Business partnership with the Customs broker industry in Latin America.

In his keynote address, the Secretary General highlighted the building blocks necessary for Customs administrations to be successful which were contained in the WCO Customs in the 21^st Century vision. During his presentation, he promoted the importance of Customs brokers joining forces with Customs administrations in advancing Customs modernization and in remaining visionary, relevant and indispensable to global trade. He also congratulated the Customs Brokers Association in Peru on their 60^th anniversary.

ASAPRA President Alejandro Ramos voiced the Association’s appreciation for the WCO's leadership in fostering a positive environment that promotes modernization in today's Custom's culture with a special emphasis on the Customs-Business partnership approach. He also urged Customs brokers in Latin America to embrace trade facilitation enshrined in the WCO Revised Kyoto Convention and the new AEO and Single Window initiatives promoted by the WCO SAFE Framework of Standards which are in line with reform initiatives undertaken by regional Customs administrations.

Ms. Nahil Hirsh, Head of the Peru Revenue Authority, was moved by the Secretary General's quote: "Borders divide but Customs connects" which she felt was in line with her vision and efforts to enhance partnership initiatives with business to gain international competitivenes in today's global economy.

Thanks to the kind invitation of the Superintendent of Revenue, the Secretary General visited the headquarters of Peru Customs where he was briefed on their efforts to shorten clearance times using pre-arrival information with the vision of making the port of Callao a trade hub for South America. Besides this visit, he visited the training academy where he was given a tour of the facilities. He next visited the export control team against drug trafficking which gave an excellent presentation on exchange of information and a review of recent seizures. His last, but equally important, stop was at the brand new scanning facility at the port of Callao where he met the scanning team.