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The RCCDG and the meeting of the WCO Members of the Americas Region
The Xth Regional Conference of Customs Directors General of the Americas and the Caribbean (RCCDG) and Meeting of the World Customs Organization (WCO) Members of the Americas and Caribbean Region was held in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, from May 7 to 11, 2007.
The annual conference was attended by Heads of Customs from 21 members in the region, as well as the WCO Secretary General and the Director of the WCO Capacity Building Directorate. Representatives from the Caribbean Customs Law Enforcement Council and the Inter-American Development Bank also attended.
Discussion at the meeting focused on the following three issues of significance to the region:
- Role of Customs and the WCO in the 21st Century;
- Implementation of the WCO SAFE Framework of Standards to Secure and Facilitate Trade through capacity building with a focus on regional and national practical experiences, achievements and successes; and
- Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)
A key achievement at the X RCCDG was the development and adoption of the Ciudad del Este Declaration on IPR Enforcement. The declaration highlights the impact of IPR infringement and stresses the important leadership role Customs must play in combatting this crime. The region affirmed its commitment to tackling this crime at the national, regional and international level. The declaration was fully supported by the WCO Secretary General who announced the annual WCO IPR trophy for combatting counterfeiting and piracy will be named after a young Customs officer from Paraguay, Maria Benitez, who lost her life as a result of her commitment to combating this crime.
More information on the X RCCDG is available from the WCO Americas and the Caribbean Region's Web site (Americaribe):
