CARICOM Secretariat assists Guyana authorities in EPA-related sensitization

Caricom Headquarters – The Adviser to the Secretary-General on the Implementation of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and Trade in Goods Specialist in the EPA Implementation Unit of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat, Mr Branford Isaacs, again spearheaded a Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA)-organized seminar on the trade in goods regime including the Rules of Origin under the CARIFORUM-EU EPA.

The seminar was this time directed at members of the business community, including importers and exporters, representatives of chambers of commerce and manufacturers associations. The exercise forms part of the GRA’s efforts to sensitize the mercantile community on the provisions of the customs-related areas of the CARIFORUM-EU EPA.

Mr Isaacs said he was pleased with the “strong turn-out” for the seminar. He noted, “the thematic focus of this interactive exercise appeared to resonate with participants.”

In recent months, Mr Isaacs served as the facilitator of GRA seminars geared at customs brokers and officers of the Customs and Trade Administration, respectively.

Mr Isaacs’ involvement as a facilitator in these GRA-organized seminars came at the request of Guyanese authorities, in keeping with the EPA Implementation Unit’s expressed commitment to provide assistance to CARIFORUM States in their efforts at implementation of the CARIFORUM-EU EPA.

The fifteen signatory Caribbean Forum of African, Caribbean and Pacific (CARIFORUM) States to the EPA are the independent CARICOM Member States and the Dominican Republic.+