As part of the meetings of the Multilateral Convention on Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between the Customs Administrations of Latin America, Spain, and Portugal (COMALEP), the 5th Joint Customs–Regional Private Sector Group (GRSP) Forum of the Americas and the Caribbean took place on May 7, 2025, in San Salvador, El Salvador. The event was organized by the General Directorate of Customs of El Salvador and the World Customs Organization (WCO) Regional Vice-Chair for the Americas and the Caribbean. As a member of both the Private Sector Consultative Group (PSCG) and the GRSP of the WCO, BASC was invited to participate in this important forum to share its experience and more than 25 years of committed work in promoting transparency and integrity in international trade.
Suzanne Lemaitre, executive director of World BASC Organization (WBO), participated as a panelist in the session titled “Commitment to Ethics and Transparency”, moderated by Enrique Martínez, General Manager of ADAU (Uruguay’s Customs Brokers Association) and Vice President of the GRSP. The panel also featured Claudia Ávila Connelly, General Director of Customs Attention and International Affairs at Mexico’s National Customs Agency.
During her intervention, Lemaitre presented the talk titled “BASC: Building Trust Through Secure Trade”, in which she shared BASC’s experience and best practices in strengthening trust and integrity in international trade. These principles have served as the foundation for the Organization’s successful collaboration with customs authorities, international organizations, and the private sector, establishing them as key drivers of economic development and prosperity.
The Forum served as a key gathering of regional customs authorities, private sector representatives, and international organizations to address critical issues including customs digitalization, technologies powered by artificial intelligence, inclusive trade for SMEs, green trade, coordinated border management, and the promotion of gender equity in international commerce.
Currently, the Regional Private Sector Group (GRSP) of the Americas and the Caribbean is composed of 40 private sector organizations and companies. World BASC Organization (WBO) has been a member of this group since its creation in 2019, as an extension of the WCO’s Private Sector Consultative Group (PSCG), established in 2005. Through its participation, BASC has represented more than 4,600 certified companies, giving a voice to the private sector in key spaces for governance and international cooperation.
BASC’s participation in this event aligns with the ongoing cooperation objectives between WBO and the WCO, focused on capacity-building and the facilitation of secure global trade. WBO extends special thanks to the GRSP for the invitation, as well as to the General Directorate of Customs of El Salvador and the International Association of Professional Customs Brokers (ASAPRA), the main organizers of the event. We deeply value the opportunity to take part in this space for international dialogue and cooperation, reaffirming WBO’s commitment to advancing secure, transparent, and reliable international trade in partnership with its strategic allies.
