Thanks to the strong ties of cooperation between BASC and the International Association of Professional Customs Brokers (ASAPRA), the Organization was invited to participate in the II International Congress of the Association of Customs Brokers of El Salvador (ASODAA). The event was held on May 6, 2025, in San Salvador, 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) and the 5th Joint Customs–Regional Private Sector Group (GRSP) Forum of the Americas and the Caribbean.
Representing the World BASC Organization (WBO), Suzanne Lemaitre, executive director, participated in the academic agenda of the event as an invited panelist, sharing BASC’s experience as an active member of the GRSP of the World Customs Organization (WCO). Lemaitre joined the session titled "Contributions of the Regional Private Sector Group to the WCO", which featured distinguished associations and private sector leaders, including Nelson Brens, president of ASAPRA; Patricia Masella, president of AMECOMEX (Brazil); Moisés Solís Flores, vice president of ALACAT; and Víctor Almiray, director of customs and trade compliance for Latin America at HUAWEI.
During her remarks, Lemaitre shared WBO’s perspective as a permanent member of the Private Sector Consultative Group (PSCG) and the GRSP of the WCO, emphasizing the importance of public-private cooperation in strengthening security across international supply chains. She highlighted the BASC program as a reference model for ethics, transparency, and risk management in international trade.
In addition, reflecting BASC’s growing presence in Central America, the BASC El Salvador Chapter, represented by Board President José Javier Ayala, participated in the panel “Interconnectivity, Innovation, and Security in Logistics.” Ayala shared the private sector’s perspective on implementing best practices in supply chain management and the chapter’s active role in promoting secure trade in the region, drawing on BASC’s experience. He was joined by key representatives of national private-sector associations, including Fernando Romero of the Exporters Corporation of El Salvador (COEXPORT), Mario Morán, president of the Salvadoran Association of Freight Forwarders (ASAC), and Roberto Fuentes, secretary general of ASAPRA.
BASC’s presence at this event is aligned with the commitments established in the Memorandum of Understanding signed between WBO and ASAPRA in 2024, which promotes technical cooperation for the facilitation of secure international trade. It also reinforces BASC’s position as a strategic ally of customs administrations and the private sector across the Americas.
Finally, the efforts of the BASC El Salvador chapter were recognized for its strong commitment to expanding the BASC model in the country and for its work in promoting a corporate culture based on compliance, transparency, and trust in international trade.
