Illicit drug trade has increased in the Pacific, prompting a need to enforce tighter security measures and proper trade facilitation procedures at our borders.
A grant agreement of more than two million dollars was signed yesterday between the New Zealand Government and the Oceania Customs Organisation to carry out such initiative.
OCO Head Secretariat, Seve Paeniu says the funding will help the combat these problems.
“It provides us with very solid platform for the next three years on how we can use that to support our members with trade facilitation, law enforcements and boarder security to secure the boarders and also in terms of customs training and leadership and revenue mobilisation. So there’s a whole range of work that are out lined in our strategic plan adopted by our members which they have prioritised for support.”
Paeniu says the three-year grant will assist in implementing customs modernization and reforms to deliver improved service.
New Zealand High Commissioner to Fiji, Mark Ramsden says it’s vital that certain projects are implemented.
