CCLEC held an Executive meeting at the WCO headquarters in Brussels from November 13–16, 2006. The meeting was considered to be a resounding success for a number of reasons including the closer links forged between the WCO and the Caribbean region and the renewed commitment of delegates and the Secretariat to push the organisation to new heights.

WCO Secretary General, Michel Danet, was on hand to open the proceedings and he outlined three strategic issues of significance to the region:

1.   Implementation of the WCO Framework of Standards to Secure and Facilitate Global Trade (SAFE);

2.       Capacity Building and the Modernization of Customs Administrations to Meet Challenges of the 21st Century; and

3.       Intellectual Property Rights.

He also gave due recognition to the work being done by Canada in their role as the current Vice-Chair of the WCO Council representing the Americas and Caribbean Region. He pointed to the establishment of  the WCO Regional Training Centers (RTCs) in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela and the intention to extend the WCO’s e-learning platform to the CCLEC Secretariat for the benefit of all member administrations in the region. The Secretary General offered the expertise of WCO to conduct IPR training for Customs Officers to deal with counterfeit products that are likely to be in the region before and during the hosting of CWC 2007.

In terms of the agenda of the meeting, delegates agreed to review the strategic plan and redirect resources towards enhancing the Regional Clearance System (RCS), finalizing the Management Training Initiative and building meaningful relationships with other regional organizations and law enforcement agencies.

The final day of the meeting was reserved for WCO presentations on technical matters of interest to the region including the WTO Valuation system, the HS 2007 Amendments, the SAFE Framework and Capacity Building. Delegates had the opportunity to discuss a number of issues related to those technical areas and generally about the operations of the WCO.

EXCO members expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the meeting and the excellent arrangements made by the WCO officials and the CCLEC Secretariat in facilitating this historic event. The next EXCO meeting will be held in Saint Lucia from February 26-28, 2007, while the 2007 Conference is scheduled to be held in Bermuda from May 15-17, 2007.