On 7 February 2022, Dr. Kunio Mikuriya, the Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO), met with H.E. Mia Mottley, the Prime Minister of Barbados, as part of his visit to the Caribbean island to launch the Project Hammer to address the smuggling of firearms and narcotics in small parcels.

They discussed the ongoing progress in Customs reform in Barbados, including the recent legislation and the migration to the new IT system that offers interoperability with other government agencies.

Prime Minister Mottley expressed her keen interest in human capacity development in Customs as well as her support to the current reform process. Secretary General Mikuriya expressed his support to the Prime Minister’s priorities and highlighted that they were in line with the WCO’s policy regarding political commitment, partnership and for a people-centric approach.

Dr. Mikuriya reiterated the WCO’s support to Small Island Economies in terms of capacity building, including the launch of the Project Hammer aiming at enhanced risk management.

At the end of the meeting, they agreed to continue working together for the development of the Caribbean region.