SELA TO HOLD REGIONAL MEETING ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE SINGLE WINDOWS

Caracas, 22 November 2010.- The Permanent Secretariat of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA), together with the National Customs Service of Chile, is organizing the “Second Latin American and Caribbean Regional Meeting on International Trade Single Windows: advances and pending challenges”, to be held in Valparaiso, Chile, on 1 and 2 December. This event will take place immediately after the “First Workshop on International Trade Single Windows. Considerations and proposals for regional action under the Latin American Pacific Rim Forum”, which received the technical support of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and funding from the Andean Development Corporation (CAF).

The main objective of the Second Regional Meeting is to promote regional dialogue through the exchange of experiences, transfer of best practices and definition of converging issues for the development and consolidation of International Trade Single Windows in Latin America and the Caribbean, as a contribution to digital inclusion in the context of regional cooperation and integration.

In March this year, SELA held the First Latin American and Caribbean Regional Meeting on Foreign Trade Single Windows in Bogotá, with the support of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Tourism of Colombia and the Chamber of Commerce of Bogotá under the auspices of the International Finance Corporation (World Bank).

This First Regional Meeting was the scene of a dialogue that facilitated the exchange of experiences and best practices in the design and implementation of International Trade Single Windows and the incorporation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) into international trade facilitation.

To continue the dialogue started at this First Regional Meeting and comply with the recommendations arising from it, experts from Latin America and the Caribbean will review the achievements in the development of single windows. In addition to representatives of various cross-border electronic trade-related national organizations, participants will include representatives of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), MERCOSUR, the Andean Community (CAN), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Andean Development Corporation (CAF).

The event will also be attended by delegates from other international bodies, such as the Trade Division of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UN/CEFACT), the World Customs Organization (WCO) and the World Bank.

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