THE worth of a country’s membership to the Caribbean Customs Law Enforcement Council (CCLEC) outweighs the cost in contributions that each country must make.

This is the word of Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs, Christopher Sinckler. The Minister gave the keynote address during the opening ceremony of CCLEC 33rd Annual Conference, held yesterday at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.
Sinckler said that if one were to measure the cost of CCLEC membership versus the benefits derived from it, it becomes clear that the latter outweighs the former.

“In terms of a cost/benefit analysis, it can be easily demonstrated that the benefits of CCLEC membership, with the ability to access and utilise a share of over US$2 million, far outweigh the annual contributions by members,” Sinckler noted.

He went on to outline the value of customs organisations in today’s ever changing world, making the point that these organisations even contribute to a country’s national development.

“We are also cognisant that gone are the days when the role of Customs Administrations was simply one of revenue collection. Today, Customs Administrations around the world play a pivotal role in the implementation of a range of critically important Government policies. They contribute to the achievement of a number of national development objectives in respect to trade facilitation, trade statistics, revenue collection, market access and the protection of society from a range of threats to national security,” Sinckler stated.

Acknowledging the value of CCLEC and of Barbados’ membership, Sinckler expressed the commitment of the Government of Barbados to the organisation and to working with its individual members to achieve more efficient customs organisations.

“Let me take this opportunity on behalf of the Government and people of Barbados…to give you the assurance that our Government remains committed to working with the CCLEC, and [its members] in your individual capacities to make sure that you not only have a successful and productive 33rd Annual Conference, but that this can lead to better and more effective and efficient customs administrations across the Caribbean and indeed across the world,” Sinckler added. (AN)

Source : The Barbados Advocate