At the invitation of the Director General of Paraguay Customs, Mr. Nelson Valiente, WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya visited Asunción, Paraguay on 18 July 2014. He spoke at a roundtable meeting together with representatives of relevant government agencies and business associations about the WTO Agreement on Trade Facilitation (TFA) and its implications on Customs reform.

After an introduction by Director General Valiente, Mr. Rigoberto Gauto Vielman, Paraguay’s Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs, presented the TFA explaining its significance for a land-locked country such as Paraguay. Secretary General Mikuriya then provided details on the WCO tools and expertise and how they could be used for the implementation of the TFA to maximize its benefits for Paraguay’s economy. The presentations were followed by discussions during which business associations and journalists posed many questions and commented on the ramifications of the TFA in respect of transit and regional integration.

Secretary General Mikuriya also attended a ceremony at the Presidential Palace where the Presidents of Paraguay and Uruguay signed a bilateral agreement which included cooperation on trade and transit facilitation.