Overview

The TFAF, working in close cooperation with the Latin American Integration Association Secretariat, (Association latino-américaine d’intégration (ALADI), organized a trade faciilitation workshop in Montevideo, Uruguay from 25 to 29 November 2019. The objective of the workshop was to provide a platform for experience sharing in the establishment and operation of national trade facilitation committees (NTFC), border agency cooperation, and the TFA provisions most frequently notified in category C in the region. Participants included experts from the 13 ALADI member countries as well as countries in Central America and the Caribbean.

Participants representing the main border agencies (including trade, customs, SPS agencies and the private sector) were invited from 17 countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, and Uruguay. The First Latin-American Meeting of Trade Facilitation Committees featured speakers from the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), the International Trade Centre (ITC), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), the World Customs Organization (WCO), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Outcome

Since its conclusion, six WTO Members participating in the workshop have submitted a total of eight notifications to the WTO Trade Facilitation Committee. ALADI has highlighted the positive impact of the workshop and has expressed interest in investigating ways to collaborate with the TFAF to potentially establish a platform for communication and the exchange of best practices amongst NTFCs in the region.