Mr Jong Woo LEE and Mr Seve Paeniu

The Oceania Customs Organisation (OCO) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Korea Customs Service (KCS).

The MOU was signed on Tuesday, 14 March in the margins of the 18th Regional Heads of Customs Administrations (RHCA) Conference in Suva by Mr. Seve Paeniu, Head of OCO Secretariat and Mr Jong Woo LEE, the Director General of Information and International Affairs Bureau.

The MOU specifically provides for the co-hosting and support of workshops to support the OCO members’ modernization efforts with KCS providing the financial and technical expertise to the customs areas of importance to members. KCS brings technical expertise in particular in the areas of Trade Facilitation, Automation (UNI-PASS), Risk Management and Time Release Study that can be benchmarked by OCO members in their own modernization programs.

In signing the MOU, Mr. Paeniu, OCO Head of Secretariat said that one of the key features of the MOU is the expansion of the capacity building programs to the wider (non-WCO) OCO members. In designing our capacity building approach, we not only look at the regional initiatives but also recognize that each country’s program must be tailor-made. OCO in its strategic plan has a particular Programme aimed specifically at meeting the needs of OCO’s small Customs administrations, including leadership training and developing core Customs capabilities that are compatible with current development status and capacities. The capacity building programs to non-WCO members is a positive step further strengthening the OCO’s efforts in the institutional strengthening of small customs administrations and the harmonization and simplification of customs processes across the members.

The OCO places great importance to collaborations with Korea Customs Service, gaining yet another strategic partner to deliver capacity building programs to members.

More pictures available here.