The WCO conducted the first accreditation workshop on the Harmonized System for Spanish-speaking Customs officers in the Americas and the Caribbean region, from 1 to 5 June 2015. The workshop, with the participation of 12 Customs officers from 10 countries, was hosted by the WCO Regional Training Centre (RTC) "Profesor Juan Bosch" in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, with financial support from the Korean Customs Cooperation Fund (CCF-Korea).

Representatives from Brazil, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Dominican Republic and Uruguay demonstrated their competencies as expert trainers on the Harmonized System and were evaluated by three experts from the WCO’s Capacity Building Directorate and Tariff and Trade Affairs Directorate. Seven participants were accredited to lead WCO HS capacity building activities in the region.

The workshop was an important achievement for the implementation of the WCO’s Capacity Building strategies in the Region as it will increase the team of experts capable of independently leading training and technical assistance activities in Spanish, on behalf of the WCO, mainly for the Americas and Caribbean Region. It was conducted at a key moment, taking into account the entry into force of the HS 2017 and all the work related to its implementation that should be done by Members.

It was also an excellent opportunity for participants to improve their experience and update their knowledge of the WCO instruments and tools for the benefit of their Customs administrations. The WCO recognizes the contribution of the participants and is grateful to the Directors-General for their willingness to contribute to the capacity building efforts in the Americas and the Caribbean region.

The WCO is thankful to the CCF-Korea for its sponsorship and to the Customs Administration of the Dominican Republican for its commitment to the WCO’s capacity building in the region and for its full support in the organization and realization of the workshop.