At the invitation of Mr. Victor Hugo Saint-Louis, Director General of Haiti Customs, WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya visited Port-au-Prince, Haiti on 10 and 11 December 2015. He attended the closing ceremony of a Leadership and Management Development course, co-organized by the WCO and Canada.
In his speech, Mr. Mikuriya underlined the importance of human resource development, including at the management level, when discharging the evolving responsibility of Customs in enhancing economic competitiveness and protecting society from illicit trade and terrorism. Customs officers should embrace a culture of service with respect to legitimate trade by engaging with stakeholders, whilst combating high-risk movements of goods and people through the use of risk management and technology.
Mr. Mikuriya held a meeting with the Customs management team to identify their needs and priorities. He subsequently met with Mr. Evans Paul, Prime Minister of Haiti, and Mr. Wilson Laleau, Minister of Economy and Finance, to explain the global trend in Customs modernization and to seek their political support for more investment in Customs in terms of financial, human and technology resources.
As Haiti is moving towards terminating pre-shipment inspection, the Secretary General pointed out that developing an action plan for Customs capacity building encompassing the areas of valuation and post-clearance audit would be necessary. Both the Prime Minister and the Minister of Economy and Finance appreciated the explanations offered by the Secretary General and assured him of their support.
Mr. Mikuriya welcomed the progress being made with Customs reform in Haiti, especially in cooperation with Canada Border Services Agency. He also expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome extended to him by Haiti Customs, and for the opportunity to meet former WCO Fellows from Haiti.
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Photos:
- WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya and Prime Minister of Haiti Evans Paul;
- WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya and Minister of Economy and Finance of Haiti Wilson Laleau;
- WCO Secretary General Kunio Mikuriya and, on his left, Director General of Haiti Customs Victor Hugo Saint-Louis during a working session;
- The Leadership and Management Development course team, which was co-organized by Canada;
- Participants to the Leadership and Management Development course.