Caribbean Export 2021 Annual Report FINAL

TRADE COOPERATION

Caribbean Export believes a stronger, united region that works together to reach its mutual goal of development, can be achieved with enhanced trade facilitation. Since May 2018 the Agency was commissioned by the Governments of the Dominican Republic and Haiti, and the European Union to implement the Trade and Private Sector Component of the Haiti- Dominican Republic Binational Cooperation Programme, under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF). Trade between Haiti and the Dominican Republic was estimated to be approximately US$820million in 2019. Further the disparities between quality and conformity standards have led to in-efficiencies and the duplication of efforts and increased spending by private sector firms wishing to export and import products between the two countries.

The Binational programme aims to strengthen economic and trade cooperation between Haiti and the Dominican Republic in a sustainable manner by supporting initiatives that can reduce current imbalances in the long term and reduce poverty levels.

To actualise this, several initiatives have been developed in cooperation with the respective Government ministries to support the formalization of trade and to harmonise the quality of products between the two countries. In March 2021, Caribbean Export facilitated the development of a trade protocol to strengthen the exchange of information between customs at the border and implemented a communications platform that would enable the Bureau Haïtien de Normalisation (BHN) and the Instituto Dominicano para la Calidad (INDOCAL) to collaborate seamlessly.

Building Business, Transforming Lives for a Resilient Caribbean | Annual Results Report - 2021 42