The Oceania Customs Organisation (OCO) recently shared its capacity-building initiatives at the World Customs Organization (WCO) Capacity Building Committee meeting in Brussels, highlighting the unique challenges and achievements of customs administrations across the Blue Pacific.
OCO Operations Manager, Laisa Naivalurua, presented to the 300 delegates representing Customs administrations, WCO regional entities and partner organisations who gathered at the 16th session of the WCO Capacity Building Committee (CBC), held from 26 to 28 February 2025.
The session was conducted under the theme “Reimagining the WCO Capacity-Building Paradigm – Thriving with Strategic Purpose and Resource Optimization” and provided an important platform for the OCO to showcase its role in supporting its 23 member customs administrations.
“We remain committed to empowering Small Island Economies to protect our Blue Pacific communities and build economic prosperity for all,” said Naivalurua during her presentation.
Strategic Priorities Driving Capacity Building
The OCO’s capacity-building efforts are guided by its Strategic Plan 2022-2027, which focuses on five key priority areas:
- Customs Leadership
Since 2022, over 200 students from 13 countries have completed the Certificate III and IV in Regional Customs Administration from the Centre of Customs and Excise Studies at Charles Sturt University. The OCO has also created pathways for women in customs through the Pacific Women’s Professional Development Programme, which focuses on “Advancing Future-Ready Customs Leadership.”
The longstanding Memorandum of Understanding between WCO and OCO, in place since 2002, continues to provide OCO members equal opportunity to benefit from e-learning resources available on the WCO CLICK! training platform. This enduring partnership underscores the strong cooperation between the two organisations over the past two decades.
Additionally, OCO held its first Corporate Governance, Succession Planning and Mentoring workshop earlier this year to strengthen integrity measures aligned with the Revised Arusha Declaration.
- Law Enforcement and Border Security
OCO has developed key enablers and tools to enhance member capabilities, with recent priority given to building capacity in maritime risk management processes across the border continuum. This work involves collaboration with other key agencies such as Police, Immigration, Fisheries and Navy.
The organisation also expressed gratitude to WCO RILO AP for establishing the Intelligence Attachment Programme for OCO members who are also WCO members. OCO is currently implementing an IPR Project funded by the US, working closely with the US Patents and Trademarks Office to deliver activities in this challenging area.
- Trade Management and Facilitation
Under this priority area, the OCO Secretariat collaborated with members to complete a comprehensive Gap Analysis under the EDF-11 funded IMPACT Project. Implemented in partnership with UNCTAD over two years and concluded in January 2025, the project covered 15 countries (71% of OCO’s Small Island Economies).
The gap analysis assessed member countries against the Revised Kyoto Convention (RKC) and WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) through four components: procedural gap analysis, legal gap analysis, assessment of risk management and intelligence frameworks, and analysis of Gender Equality and Social Inclusion measures.
The findings revealed that institutional procedures needed development or updates, officers required training, and support was needed for automation and ICT improvements.
- Partnerships and Revenue Mobilisation
A significant achievement in this area was the establishment of the WCO JICA Master Trainer programme since 2021, which evolved from a virtual programme to in-person training, with the latest cohort meeting in Fiji in March 2024.
The Secretariat also led a successful modernisation project for Guam Customs, resulting in their adoption of the Harmonised Classification System, which concluded in January 2025.
WCO Capacity Building Committee Session
The CBC meeting, chaired by Mr. Yoshiro Baba for the 16th session, saw profound discussions on the elements of the new Capacity Building Paradigm, which addresses the need for an update to the twenty-year-old Capacity Building Strategy. The Paradigm emphasises strategic alignment with the WCO’s Mission, Vision, and Values.
WCO Secretary General Ian Saunders set the tone for the deliberations as the keynote speaker, highlighting how the Paradigm aligns with the WCO Strategic Plan. The Committee also discussed progress in implementing the CBC Work Programme for 2022-2025 and parameters for the next edition.
During the session, Ms. Li Yan from the Mission of China to the European Union and Mr Yazeed Abdullah Alhadlaq from the Zakat, Tax and Customs Authority (ZATCA), Saudi Arabia, were elected as Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson for the CBC, respectively.
Monitoring Success and Planning Ahead
The OCO maintains a robust monitoring and evaluation framework for its Strategic Plan, with quarterly reporting to the Steering Committee. This framework is crucial for capturing the actual progress and impact of capacity-building efforts.
“In a nutshell, if you look at the running theme of these opportunities, you will see that it all has to do with PEOPLE and the role of the Secretariat in promoting the sharing of experiences and ideas in the membership, telling our stories and working with our traditional and new partners who walk alongside us to deliver on our customs commitment,” Naivalurua emphasised.
The OCO Secretariat continues to promote a regional approach to support members while enabling targeted capacity-building activities to ensure a level playing field for all members across the Pacific region.
The invitation to present at the WCO meeting was particularly timely as OCO is currently developing its 2-year work programme, having analysed findings from various activities to identify both regional and national capacity-building needs of members.
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