Around 30 experts from Member Customs Administrations, regional and international organizations gathered in Asuncion, Paraguay from 21 to 23 May 2018 for a transit workshop for the WCO South America, North America, Central America and the Caribbean (AMS) region. The event was organized with the financial support of the WCO Reserve Fund and was hosted by Paraguay Customs.

In interactive sessions, the WCO set the scene by presenting the guiding principles for the establishment of efficient and effective transit regimes as outlined in the various sections of the WCO Transit Guidelines and the participants shared and discussed good practices, challenges and measures for further improvement of the various aspects of transit in the region. Highly informative presentations were delivered by the General Secretariat of the Andean Community (SGCAN), the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the International Road Transport Union (IRU) and the Customs administrations of Argentina, Honduras, Paraguay, Uruguay and Peru.

The workshop concluded with outlining strategic areas in which further efforts need to be invested to enhance transit regimes in the region, but also to support and promote existing good practices.

The transit workshop for the AMS region was the third in a series of regional events planned by the WCO with the objective of promoting the implementation of the WCO Transit Guidelines launched in July 2017, and the establishment by Members of efficient and effective transit regimes in their territories.