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

IV.
Notable achievements and common challenges in implementing
trade facilitation and paperless trade measures in Latin America
and the Caribbean
Country respondents were asked to identify trade facilitation and paperless trade measures in which
their countries had made the most progress in the last 12 months. The measures most frequently
mentioned relate to the regional harmonization of procedures for cross-border paperless trade
(especially among Central American countries, but also among members of the Pacific Alliance) and to
the establishment of authorized economic operator schemes (see figure 24). Next comes the improved
functionality of existing single electronic windows and –closely related to it- the increase in the number
of trade-related procedures (for example, payment of Customs duties, application and or issuance of
documents) that can be conducted electronically.
Figure 24
Trade facilitation and paperless trade measures on which most progress was made
in Latin America and the Caribbean in the last 12 months
(Number of mentions)
Regionally harmonized procedures for crossborder
paperless trade
Establishment of authorized economic
operator scheme
Improved functionality of the electronic
single window
Increased number of paperless trade
procedures
5
7
8
8
Specific procedures for expedited shipments
Establishment of national trade facilitation
committee
4
4
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Source: Author, on the basis of data from the Global Survey on Trade Facilitation and Paperless Trade Implementation 2017.
Country respondents were also asked to identify the most serious challenges faced by their
countries in implementing trade facilitation measures. Notably, the most frequently mentioned
challenge was limited human resource capacity, slightly ahead of financial constraints. Lack of
coordination between government agencies also featured prominently (see figure 25). These results
suggest that technical assistance and capacity building are needed in the region at least as much as
financial assistance to implement certain measures.
Survey results also indicate that the cross-cutting, multi-agency nature of trade facilitation
continues to raise important institutional challenges for governments in the region. Although trade
facilitation is often seen as relevant only to Customs agencies, it concerns many other institutions that
perform inspections at the border and/or issue documents that are necessary for trade transactions to
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