Suva, Fiji, September 13, 2021- On weekends you will find John Tarkong Jr either out at sea fishing or in his “rest home” away from the noise and the hustles and bustles of city life, probably strumming his guitar and singing a note or two over a few beers. Sometimes...
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PR 29/21 Mitchell leads Oceania and Cook Islands Customs Service
Suva, Fiji, September 12, 2021- The newly appointed chairperson of the Oceania Customs Organisation (OCO), Xavier Mitchell is your typical islander with a great love for fishing, in particular game fishing. But what many would not know is that the head of Cook Islands...
PR 28/21 OCO 21st Annual Meeting – Transnational crimes require regional collaboration
Suva, Fiji, September 02, 2021- Despite border closures and reduced air and sea travel because of COVID-19, Customs administrations in the region say threats in the Pacific remain high from illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing fleets – as well as threats from...
PR 27/21 Heads of Customs in Oceania region meet for Annual Conference
Suva, Fiji, August 26, 2021- The Heads of Customs administrations in the region are holding their annual conference virtually today to discuss challenges in the region and possible solutions as well as adopt the Pacific Harmonised Commodity Description and Coding...
Vanuatu keeps up with the World of E-Commerce and Digital Trade PR26/21
Suva, Fiji, June 16, 2021- COVID-19 has not only decimated Pacific Island economies, it has also catapulted to the fore the urgent need to move towards digital economies and the importance of e-commerce if we are to be on par with the rest of the world. A report...
Regional collaboration against transnational crimes PR25/21
Suva, Fiji,08 June 2021- The OCO Head of Secretariat, Richard Brennan says the more knowledge OCO members have of organized crimes, the better they will be in catching criminals and disrupting transnational crimes. “Criminals are very creative and we need to be up to...
OCO Provides Capacity Building on Digital Customs and E-commerce to Members PR24/21
Suva, Fiji, 24 May, 2021- The Oceania Customs Organisation organised its first Virtual Workshop on Digital Customs & Ecommerce from 18-21 May, 2021 with 85 Customs officials from 16 countries participating. The objective of the workshop was to support members in...
OCO members prepare to implement HS 2022 PR16/21
Suva, Fiji, 29 March, 2021 - OCO members are preparing for the implementation of HS 2022, which is the seventh edition of the Harmonized System (HS) nomenclature that will come into force on 1 January 2022. “As a region, we need to work together and prepare for this...
ABF and OCO helps Savusavu law enforcement officers prepare for new sailing season PR23/21
Suva, Fiji, 08 April, 2021- The Oceania Customs Organisation (OCO), supported by the Australia Border Force (ABF) is helping Fijian border law enforcement agencies prepare for the opening of borders by providing training on the use of the Pacific Small Craft App, that...
OCO Marks the end of Pacific Women in Customs Series PR023/21
Suva, Fiji, 31 March 2021- OCO chairperson Salvador Jacob says there has been progress, but more work still needs to be done to ensure gender equality in Customs administrations in the Pacific. OCO ended its month-long celebration of the achievements of women through...