Tripartite agreement between Canada Haiti and the WCO
June 2009
On June 26th 2009 the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA), the Haiti General Customs Administration, and WCO signed a Memorandum of Cooperation concerning Capacity Building. This memorandum of cooperation is due in part to the well established relationship between Canada and Haiti, and to the CBSA’s preliminary Action Plan of December 2008 titled, “Capacity building component for the Haiti General Customs Administration-Tax Revenue Mobilization Support Project.”
The Haiti General Customs Administration has put forward a concerted effort to reform and modernize the present customs system. Haiti has acknowledged the need for training and assistance in capacity building required to achieve the goals and initiatives as described in the, above mentioned, action plan. The WCO through implementing global standards and uniformity in the development of Customs around the world has provided Haiti with the goal to strive for and by partnering with the CBSA will allow for efficient coordination with other donor and international partners to ensure efficiency and forestall duplication.
This tripartite memorandum of understanding will facilitate the development and delivery of basic and advanced customs training by the WCO. CBSA will provide the long term capacity building and training support through the Capacity Building Project. The Haiti General Customs Administration will provide the necessary human resources for the implementation and development of the initiatives of this project.
Representing the CBSA was Mr. Stephen Rigby, President, for Haiti General Customs Administration, Mssr. Jean-Jacques Valentin, Director General, and for the WCO, Mr. Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General.
The Director of Capacity Building, Mr. Lars Karlsson says: "Canada has always been a leading capacity builder under the WCO Columbus programme. This new tri-lateral agreement between Canada-Haiti-WCO is a long-term commitment from a Member administration that has shown tremendous solidarity and leadership over the recent years. The agreement sends a strong signal of support for Customs modernization and reform. In addition, I am also delighted that our new twinning tri-lateral model for design of long-term support has again been used for the benefit of everyone involved. In my mind this is the future of Customs Capacity Building and I am grateful to see this kind of support also under the current Global Financial Crises. It demonstrates the willingness to try international cooperation as one way to contribute to resolve the present difficult situation for emerging economies and developing countries".