The 30^th Annual Conference of the Caribbean Customs Law Enforcement Council was held in Grand Cayman, from May 21 -24, 2008.  The theme of this year’s conference “Security and Facilitation: the way of the future” is particularly relevant as the Caribbean region is preparing to respond to the demands of a rapidly changing trading environment.

The Annual Conference began with a welcome from the host, Mr Carlon Powery, Collector of Customs, Cayman Islands, followed with the official opening by His Excellency, the acting Governor - Mr George Mc Carthy and Mrs. Winniefred Forstine-DeSilva, Chairperson of the 29^th Annual CCLEC conference.

The keynote address was delivered by Mr. Michael Schmitz, Director, Compliance and Facilitation of the World Customs Organization (WCO).  In keeping with the theme of the conference, Mr Schmitz spoke about the introduction of the SAFE Framework in response to the need to both facilitate and secure the global supply chain.

The British Virgin Islands and Saint Lucia Customs administrations were joint winners of the Regional Clearance System (RCS) award in recognition of their contribution to and excellent utilization of the system. Saint Lucia was also given the annual Integrity Award based on the excellent record and commitment by one of their officers.  

A workshop was held on the SAFE Framework and its implications for the Caribbean region. The workshop concluded that while the implementation of SAFE will pose challenges for the region, it is necessary and should be undertaken incrementally. Efforts must be made to promote cooperation between Customs and the private sector to ensure success.

Delegates to the Council were steadfast in their commitment to continue to cooperate and exchange information with each other and with the wider law enforcement community both regionally and internationally.

In addition Council agreed to pursue capacity building initiatives with the WCO and other international agencies particularly with a view to modernizing Customs administrations and building management and leadership capacity. To this end a Declaration of Intent between the WCO and CCLEC will be signed at the WCO Council Sessions in June 2008.

 This cooperative spirit was extended to include the Oceania Customs Organization (OCO), an organization located in the Pacific region with many similarities to the CCLEC. Council also agreed to sign a Cooperative Agreement with the OCO. 

Conference delegates also took the opportunity to approve the Strategic Plan for the next five years and review and update the annual Work Plan.

Finally, Council endorsed the recommendation submitted by the Select Committee for the appointment of a new Permanent Secretary.  Mr Claude A Paul, who served as Permanent Secretary since July 2006, will be demitting office as of May 31, 2008. The announcement concerning the appointment of the new Permanent Secretary is expected to be made shortly. 

25th May, 2008