The 26th WCO Asia/Pacific Regional Contact Points Meeting was held from 9 to 11 November 2016 in Sigatoka, Fiji. The meeting was opened and chaired by Mr. Visvanath Das, Chief Executive Officer of Fiji Revenue and Customs Authority and Vice-Chair for the Asia/Pacific region. Delegates from 22 Members in the Asia/Pacific region, representatives from the WCO Secretariat, Asia/Pacific Regional Office for Capacity Building (ROCB A/P), Asia/Pacific Regional Intelligence Liaison Office (RILO A/P) and Oceania Customs Organisation (OCO) participated in the meeting to share experiences and discuss issues of common interest of the region and to formulate recommendations to the Heads meeting in the coming spring.
Mr. Visvanath Das welcomed all delegates to Sigatoka, Fiji. Ms. Makereta, the Permanent Secretary for Economy, delivered the keynote speech. She expressed her appreciation for the strong support and cooperation offered by members of the A/P region to the Vice-Chair. She also hoped that Members would prioritize the region’s interest in their decision-making and wished all the delegates fruitful discussions.
The meeting reviewed the activities that were delivered to date under the Regional Strategic Plan 2014-2016 to confirm its effective implementation. It also developed the Regional Strategic Plan 2016-2018 and agreed on the nomination of the country coordinator for each of the focus areas. Other issues of key importance such as private sector engagement, various enforcement operations, and Customs Integrity were also discussed. Participants benefitted from updates by the WCO Secretariat on WCO policy and initiatives which would have significant impact on activities of the region and Members, as well as from the reports of the ROCB A/P and the RILO A/P, all of which contributed to the lively exchange of views on the aforementioned items.