Strengthening the coordination with regional Customs

By Mayora IP

Werner Ovalle, Director General of Guatemala Customs and Customs Intendant of the Superintendency of Tax Administration of Guatemala, held a virtual meeting on 20 August 2020 with Ricardo Treviño Chapa, Deputy Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO). Directors General and representatives of the region’s members such as Chile, Colombia, Honduras, Panama, Peru, the United States and Uruguay also participated in the meeting.

During the meeting, Guatemala exchanged experiences and highlighted the importance of cross-border E-Commerce as a tool to promote the economic recovery of the countries in the region, thus providing an opportunity to share the best practices adopted by the WCO in this field.

Among other strategic actions, monitoring the AEO Mutual Recognition Arrangements, in which 11 Customs administrations of the region participate, also plays an important role in economic recovery, as well as strengthening the coordination and action plans of the Regional Office of Capacity Building (ROCB) and Regional Training Centres (RTCs), ensuring the accreditation of experts from the region, promoting technical cooperation between Customs administrations as well as providing support for the Regional Private Sector Group (RPSG). Participants also agreed to continue promoting the use of the Spanish language in the WCO working bodies.