Trade facilitation and paperless trade implementation in Latin America and the Caribbean: Regional Report 2017

Figure 15
Implementation levels of paperless trade measures in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2017
(Percentages and number of countries at each implementation level)
Source: Author, on the basis of data from the Global Survey on Trade Facilitation and Paperless Trade Implementation 2017.
Within the Paperless Trade category, it is the establishment of an electronic single window
system that would permit compliance and practice of most, or all, of the remaining measures. A single
window refers to a facility that enables parties involved in trade and transport to submit documentation
and/or data requirements for importation, exportation, or transit of goods through a single entry
point. 14 When the single window is electronic, information and communications technology (ITC) is used
to allow data and documents to be submitted and exchanged electronically.
As already noted, the region saw a seven point decrease in its overall implementation level for
the establishment of an electronic single window with regard to the Global Survey 2015. While South
America saw an eight point decline (from 79% to 71%), Central America improved its performance (from
67% to 72%) and that of the Caribbean remained almost unchanged (from 25% to 24%). The decrease in
the region’s overall performance is explained both by South America’s lower performance and by the
higher weight of the Caribbean region. While only four of the 19 participating countries in the Global
Survey 2015 were from the Caribbean (21%), seven of the 21 participants in the Global Survey 2017 are
from that sub-region (33%).
Within South America, the decline is explained partly by the cases of Ecuador and Peru. While
both countries answered in 2015 that their respective electronic single windows were fully
implemented, both reported in 2017 that implementation was only partial. The justification was that not
all relevant parties were connected to the system (both in Ecuador and Peru) and that the system was
not fully functional (Ecuador). In other words, the responses provided in 2015 seem to have been overly
optimistic, overstating actual implementation levels. Overall, two South American countries have
reported full implementation of this measure in 2017 (Colombia and Paraguay), with five being at the
stage of partial implementation (Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay). Argentina (which did not
participate in the Global Survey 2015) is at the pilot stage.
In the case of Central America and Mexico, two countries (Costa Rica and Mexico) reported
having fully implemented electronic single windows, while three reported partial implementation (El
14 See Article 10.4 of the TFA.
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