Imagine cross-border trade as a highway where goods flow seamlessly, allowing businesses to access international markets with lower costs and greater efficiency. Yet reality often falls short—cumbersome procedures and complex processes act like "toll booths," hindering smooth trade. How can these barriers be dismantled to achieve genuine trade facilitation?
Recently, the World Customs Organization (WCO), supported by Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), conducted a follow-up Mercator Programme assessment for Bolivia’s National Customs (AN) under its Global Trade Facilitation Programme (GTFP). The mission, carried out from November 28 to December 1, 2022, evaluated Bolivia’s progress since its initial diagnostic assessment in July 2018 and a 2019 progress review, providing guidance for further improvements.
GTFP: An Engine for Trade Facilitation
The SECO-WCO Global Trade Facilitation Programme (GTFP) is a key initiative aimed at helping developing and least-developed countries implement the WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA). Through technical assistance, capacity building, and knowledge sharing, GTFP seeks to reduce trade costs, enhance efficiency, and foster sustainable economic growth.
Bolivia’s selection as a priority beneficiary reflects GTFP’s recognition of its potential in trade facilitation. By providing sustained support, the programme aims to help Bolivia build a more efficient, transparent, and modernized customs system, injecting new vitality into its economy.
The Mercator Programme: A Foundation for Progress
The WCO’s Mercator Programme offers a comprehensive framework for assessing trade facilitation levels, identifying gaps, and designing reforms. Aligned with the TFA, it covers customs procedures, inter-agency cooperation, IT applications, and risk management.
The follow-up assessment in Bolivia applied this framework to measure advancements and address lingering challenges, offering actionable solutions.
Key Focus Areas: Risk Management and Advance Rulings
WCO experts prioritized evaluating Bolivia’s progress in risk management and advance rulings—cornerstones of modern customs operations. Risk-based approaches allow authorities to allocate resources effectively, while advance rulings provide traders with binding decisions on classification, valuation, or origin before goods arrive, boosting predictability.
The assessment revealed marked improvements since 2018, including Bolivia’s enhanced risk assessment system and the introduction of advance ruling mechanisms. These steps demonstrate tangible strides toward trade facilitation.
Collaborative Engagement: Building an Ecosystem
To ensure accuracy, WCO experts engaged extensively with Bolivian customs, border agencies, and private-sector stakeholders. This inclusive approach strengthened dialogue, highlighted challenges, and fostered a shared vision for a more efficient trade environment.
Such multi-stakeholder collaboration is critical to sustaining progress and creating a transparent, sustainable trade ecosystem.
Recommendations and Next Steps
Based on findings, WCO experts provided tailored recommendations to refine Bolivia’s trade facilitation measures, spanning risk management, IT integration, and inter-agency coordination. Bolivia’s customs authority welcomed the guidance, pledging to incorporate it into future reforms.
The successful assessment marks another milestone in Bolivia’s trade facilitation journey. With continued GTFP support, Bolivia aims to further streamline processes, serving as a model for other developing economies pursuing sustainable growth through international cooperation.