The World Customs Organization (WCO) led a training seminar on Customs valuation control which took place in the Marriott hotel in Port-au-Prince (Haiti) from 26 to 30 September 2016. This training seminar was funded by the European Union through the Caribbean Export Development Agency.
In his address at the opening ceremony, Mr. Francel Saint-Hillien, Chargé de mission and representative of the Director General of Haiti Customs, noted that this training seminar was part of a Bi-national Haiti-Dominican Republic Programme aimed at building the capacities of Customs officers and strengthening cooperation between the two Customs administrations.
Some 40 officials from Haiti Customs and 5 officials from Dominican Republic Customs attended the training seminar. The training dispensed during the seminar included an in-depth study of incoterms 2010, principles of the WTO Valuation Agreement, Customs valuation rules and WCO Guidelines for Valuation Control, including those on combating under-invoicing. This training was supported by practical exercises and case studies which gave participants greater insight into the subjects taught and consolidated their knowledge of the provisions of the Agreement on Implementation of Article VII of the GATT 1994. This workshop has also provided à platform for the exchange of good practices and useful experience related to the valuation of imported goods by officials of the two Customs administrations.
The closing ceremony was presided over by the Director General of Haiti Customs, Mr. Victor H. Saint Louis, who awarded WCO attendance certificates to participants.