From October 16-20, CLDP conducted a trade facilitation assessment in San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa, Honduras, in coordination with the International Trade Administration (ITA). The assessment kicked off a joint project between CLDP and ITA which aims to increase regional integration in Central America by providing technical assistance to the governments of Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica.  The project will build off of a previous ITA initiative, called Pathways to Prosperity, and will focus on implementation of the WTO's Trade Facilitation Agreement and supply chain competitiveness.

While in San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa, CLDP and ITA met with key stakeholders from both the public and private sector, including the Presidential Commission on Customs Reform (COPRISAO), the Operadora Portuaria Centroamericana, a private company recently granted a 30-year concession to operate the largest port in Honduras, and chambers of commerce and other business associations. During these meetings, CLDP and ITA examined the gap between the requirements of Articles 1 and 2 of the WTO’s Trade Facilitation Agreement and what Honduras currently implements. Articles 1 and 2 cover information availability, opportunities to comment, advance rulings, and appeals.

Robust implementation of both articles is critical to both regional integration and to the success of U.S. businesses accessing the Honduran market. Funding from this project comes from the Department of State as part of the U.S. Strategy for Engagement in Central America, a bipartisan, multi-year U.S. government plan promoting institutional reforms and addressing developmental challenges in the region. This project is one of three that CLDP will begin implementing in the region in support of the Strategy’s aim to protect American citizens by addressing the security, governance, and economic drivers of illegal immigration and illicit trafficking, while increasing opportunities for U.S. and other businesses.