Oceania Customs Organisation

Yesterday’s open session brought together OCO members and partners from across the region for frank, forward-looking conversations about what it takes to keep our borders secure and our communities safe.
Partners reinforced what we know — Customs is on the frontline of maritime security, trade transparency, and the fight against organised crime.
But no agency wins that fight alone.
The message from the room was clear: the Pacific needs a stronger, smarter, intelligence-led regional response. One built on cooperation, not just coordination. On shared knowledge, not siloed data. On collective capacity, not individual effort.
That’s what OCO stands for. And that’s the work we continue together.

Fiji’s Minister for Finance, Hon. Esrom Yosef Immanuel officially opened the three-day 28th OCO Annual Conference sounding the alarm on illicit drugs. The Pacific is no longer just a transit corridor, it is increasingly a destination. Minister Immanuel called for stronger intelligence sharing, better frontline capabilities, and unified regional action against transnational crime.
OCO Chair and Fiji Revenue Customs Service CEO Udit Singh echoed that message, highlighting the Pacific’s strategic role in global trade and the need to tackle drug and human trafficking, customs fraud, and environmental crimes through innovation and advanced technology.
Under the theme “Scaling Up the Commitment of Customs to Protect and Grow Our Pasifika Communities,” leaders are aligning strategies to secure borders, support legitimate trade, and build resilient Pacific economies together.

In 1986, the Heads of Customs first met. Things were very different. There was no internet. No container scanners. No regional free trade agreements to navigate. That gathering known then as the Customs Heads of Administration Regional Meeting (CHARM) was the beginning of something none of them could fully predict.
Four decades later, CHARM has grown into the OCO Annual Conference. The issues on the table today- illicit trade, digital customs, climate-related supply chain disruptions and protecting our Pasifika communities look nothing like 1986.
But the commitment does.
Today in Fiji, we open the 28th OCO Annual Conference under the theme: “Scaling Up the Commitment of Customs to Protect and Grow our Pasifika Communities.”
Our Customs Chiefs are in the room. The work continues.

Day 1 of our 28th annual conference has begun with our Heads of Customs meeting. The official opening of the conference will be held this evening and livestreamed by Fiji Revenue and Customs Service.

Heads of Customs Arrive for OCO Conference

The countdown is on.
Delegates are touching down in Fiji ahead of the 28th Annual OCO Conference, opening June 2 at the Intercontinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa.
Among the latest to arrive are Mr Randy Sue of the Federated States of Micronesia, Mr Jose Mafnas Jr of the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islnds, and Mr Vincent Perez of Guam.
This year’s theme, “Scaling Up the Commitment of Customs to Protect and Grow our Pasifika Communities” sets the stage for a packed programme of strategic discussions, leadership sessions, and a Fireside Chat where the region’s Customs chiefs will reflect on shared lessons and map the road ahead for Pacific Customs
OCO, Fiji Revenue and Customs Service and Fiji warmly welcome all arriving delegates.
Ni bula maleka!