Customs Support Project Quarterly Report October – December 2019

The project is working to streamline processes for clearing exported and imported goods by providing technical assistance to the Administration Générale des Douanes (AGD). To achieve this, the project must have the support of Haiti's Customs Administration in implementing proposed reforms in areas such as organizational structure, human resources, capacity building and training, technology and infrastructure, operational procedures, and cooperation and communication. The project has advanced several objectives to date, including the completion of Component I (Mobilization, Assessments, and Trade Facilitation Training) and Component II (Initial Analysis of Customs Procedures) of the project, along with partial completion of Component III (ICT Procurement and Installation) and Component IV (Ongoing Capacity Building). However, the security situation in Haiti has deteriorated significantly, particularly in Port-au-Prince, due to the persistent political crisis, gang and criminal activity, and economic instability. This has hindered the Haitian government's ability to meet the basic needs of its people and resolve long-standing governance issues. As a result, the project's technical scope of work has been significantly delayed, with key activities under Components III and IV approximately 3-4 months behind schedule. The project team must travel to high-risk areas on a nearly daily basis, putting staff at a high risk of a major security incident. Local vendors, including Geninov and TurboNet, are also unwilling to travel to port sites due to the increased security risk. Despite these challenges, the Chief of Party (COP) Letourneau has continued to communicate and engage with the AGD Directors General and Geninov to advance project objectives. In Year 4 Q1, the project made progress in Component III (ICT Procurement and Installation). COP Letourneau communicated regularly with AGD and Geninov to ensure project advancement, and the AGD Information Technology Division (ITD) was in constant communication with ICT Expert Pruszkowski to provide technical support and advice. The project received over 100 calls during this timeframe, and the COP held several discussions with Assistant Director General's (DGA's) Dubreus and Alcindor and IT Director Allonce to ensure collaboration between AGD and Geninov in finalizing the implementation schedule. Task 1 – Cabling was 85% complete, but further delays occurred due to the rapidly deteriorating security situation in the area of the port.