Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation in Latin America and the Caribbean: Regional Report 2021

This report presents the results for Latin America and the Caribbean of the fourth Global Survey on Digital and Sustainable Trade Facilitation, conducted in the first half of 2021 against the backdrop of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and with the participation of 135 countries (14 from the region). The survey results indicate that Latin America and the Caribbean has made considerable progress since the previous edition in 2019. For the first time, it is the best performing developing region ahead of East and Southeast Asia, with an average implementation rate of 80%. The region’s results are particularly strong in the categories of transparency and formalities, which coincide closely with the provisions of the Trade Facilitation Agreement of the World Trade Organization. Nevertheless, there is much room for improvement in the area of cross-border paperless trade, as well as in adapting trade facilitation measures to the specific needs of small and medium-sized enterprises and women in trade.