The Republic of Nicaragua accedes to the Revised Kyoto Convention as the 136th Contracting Party

The RKC now comprises 136 Contracting Parties with the accession of the Republic of Nicaragua. Among the 33 WCO Members in the South America, North America, Central America, and the Caribbean region, Nicaragua will become the 10th Contracting Party to the RKC. The RKC will come into force for the Republic of Nicaragua on 15 May 2024.

During his meeting with Ambassador César Castañeda, Secretary General Saunders congratulated Nicaragua on its accession and welcomed them to the RKC community, which comprises 136 Customs administrations. He emphasized the significance of this accession, highlighting that it will provide Nicaragua with a roadmap for simpler, more efficient, and effective Customs procedures, guiding them through continuous improvement and ensuring the safety and security of its people.

Ambassador César Castañeda affirmed Nicaragua’s recognition of the importance of the RKC and expressed the country’s commitment to following the necessary implementation steps and processes outlined in the Convention.

The WCO has been encouraging its Members who have not yet acceded to accede to the RKC, emphasizing its role as an international treaty that provides a set of comprehensive Customs procedures to facilitate legitimate international trade while enabling effective Customs controls, including the protection of Customs revenue and society. The RKC promotes key principles of simplified and harmonized Customs procedures, such as predictability, transparency, due process, maximum use of information technology, and modern Customs techniques (e.g. risk management, pre-arrival processing, and post-clearance audit). It is worth noting that while many WCO Members have embraced the implementation of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement, acceding to the RKC presents a compelling option as the two complement each other and the RKC provides the necessary detail in ensuring the commitments to both conventions are fulfilled.