CCLEC 45th Annual Conference – Cayman Islands
The 45th Conference of the Caribbean Customs Law Enforcement Council (CCLEC) was held in the Cayman Islands from June 5-9, 2023. Twenty-five member administrations and a number of strategic partners attended the conference which took place at the Westin Hotel hosted with the full support of the Director and staff of the Customs Border Control Service.
Mr Ian Saunders of the USA, a candidate for the post of Secretary General of the World Customs Organization (WCO), delivered the Keynote address. In his address, Mr Saunders shared his vision for leading the WCO to provide high-quality, responsive services to its members by drawing on its rich past, optimizing present efforts, and driving Customs toward a safe, prosperous, and inclusive future. He highlighted the intersection of WCO work with matters of importance to CCLEC members and the importance of cultivating customs cooperation within the WCO as well as beyond WCO membership.
The conference showcased a number of presentations of best practice initiatives and progress made on reforms by regional and international Customs administrations including Bermuda, Cayman Islands Jamaica, Turks and Caicos’ Islands, India Customs Service, and the World Customs Organisation. The meeting also received presentations and pledges of support from the Caribbean Technical Assistance Centre (CARTAC), the Institute of Export and International Trade, and the Western Europe RILO.
I wish to take this opportunity to extend greetings to all member administrations as we usher in the New Year. 2023 will be a pivotal year for the Caribbean Customs community as we work together to restore our position on the regional landscape particularly in law enforcement, contributing to border security, efficiency in trade matters and effective revenue protection and collection.
Congratulations to the Customs fraternity on this special day which has been designated as International Customs Day by the WCO. This year the chosen theme, “Scaling up Customs Digital Transformation by Embracing a Data Culture and Building a Data Ecosystem,” is very fitting as the pandemic has acted as a most powerful catalyst to force many countries to accept technology as a fundamental part of their business culture.
In the interest of building capacity, the CCLEC has commenced a train-the-trainer program, in collaboration with UWI Open Campus to develop the training skills of a cadre of regional officers. The main objective of the program is to equip officers with pedagogic skills to become professional trainers within their departments. They will also serve as trainers for delivering CCLEC online courses among member countries. The acquisition of skill, knowledge, and expertise provides the basis for the efficient and effective management of the operations of any organization. With limited resources to hire external experts, it is especially significant for small developing countries to develop their skills and become less reliant on external support.
In St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the La Soufriere volcano is located at the northern side on the island. After effusively erupting since December, 2020, it explosively erupted on 9th April, 2021 and continues to erupt explosively emanating clouds of ash throughout the island. It also generated pyroclastic density currents along the north western and north eastern valleys of the island. Thankfully, there has been no confirmed loss of lives. Nevertheless, it has left the island gloomy and desolate in some areas.