The National Trade Facilitation Committee (CNFC) reported the notification to the World Trade Organization (WTO) of 100% compliance with the goals to which the country committed itself during the Bali Ministerial Conference in 2013.
This was announced during the twentieth plenary session of the CNFC, the executing arm of the actions of our management as a country to comply with these measures. The activity was held at the headquarters of the Directorate General of Customs (DGA).
This compliance, which has been published on the official website of the WTO, is a milestone for the Dominican Republic in terms of international trade, given that the WTO is the world’s top regulator in this regard.
“As a work team we are honored by all the effort made, as well as by the incredible alliance between the public and private sectors that we have forged,” said Customs Director Eduardo Sanz Lovatón, in his capacity as president of the CNFC.
To date, only 80 of 168 countries have achieved 100% compliance with the commitments of this agreement before the WTO.
For his part, the president of the American Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAMDR), Edwin de los Santos, said that the CNFC has been an example of efficiency and collaboration that has achieved significant progress in promoting logistics in the Dominican Republic.
“This achievement is the result of hard work by the CNFC, the first public-private alliance that has been recognized by other trade facilitation committees in other countries as one of the most effective in the region,” said the president of AMCHAMDR, the organization that holds the CNFC secretariat.
Perla de la Rosa, also on behalf of AMCHAMDR, officially announced 100% compliance with the agreement and recalled that the CNFC will continue to develop a work agenda based on the committee’s strategic plan, which runs until 2026. Currently, the CNFC manages 38 projects that are part of the continuity plan.
“In fulfilling 100% of this agreement, we thank everyone involved in this successful working group, the public and private sector, business associations and state institutions; without your support and dedication this would not have been possible,” said De la Rosa.
The Dominican Republic is in sixth place in terms of compliance efficiency among Latin American countries, ranking alongside Colombia, Brazil, Mexico, Chile and Costa Rica as the countries with the highest performance in the region.
In Latin America only 8 countries of the 33 signatories have complied with the agreement at 100%.
About the CNFC
The objective of the CNFC is to facilitate internal coordination and implementation of the provisions of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, in addition to serving as a permanent forum for dialogue to address issues related to trade and logistics.
It is chaired by the General Directorate of Customs, and integrated on behalf of the public sector by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Mypimes (MICM); Ministry of Defense (MIDE); Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance (MISPAS); Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MIREX); Ministry of Agriculture (MA); Export and Investment Center of the Dominican Republic (ProDominicana); Executive Directorate of the National Competitiveness Council (CNC); and the National Council of Export Processing Zones (CNZFE).
While the entities representing the private sector are the National Council of Private Enterprise (CONEP), the American Chamber of Commerce of the Dominican Republic (AMCHAMDR), Association of Industries of the Dominican Republic (AIRD), Dominican Association of Exporters (ADOEXPO), Dominican Association of Free Zones (ADOZONA), National Organization of Commercial Enterprises (ONEC), Association of Shippers of the Dominican Republic (ANRD), Dominican Association of Airlines, and the Dominican Agribusiness Board (JAD).
Source: Presidencia.gob.do
