ASMP Regional Meeting

A team from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) met with senior officials from five pacific Customs administrations in Port Moresby recently to review the progress of each administration’s Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA) system.

The ASYCUDA system is an UNCTAD developed computerized Customs management platform used by over 100 countries worldwide to automate and streamline trade procedures, including declarations, manifests, accounting, and data exchange, to improve Customs efficiency and facilitate international trade.

The meeting was an annual review of UNCTAD’s ongoing ASYCUDA Support Mechanism for the Pacific (ASMP) program that was established in 2001 to identify and address specific operational, technical, and capacity‑building needs of each of the five ASMP member administrations to enable them to sustain, strengthen, and further modernize their ASYCUDA systems.

The ASMP program has a dedicated office in Suva, Fiji that coordinates ongoing training and technical support for member Customs administrations of Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and PNG.

PNG Customs Commissioner for Border Security and Regional Operations Benjamin Sine welcomed the delegates on behalf of the meeting host Chief Commissioner David Towe and expressed his gratitude to UNCTAD and the ASMP program for ensuring that member administrations continue to receive technical and advisory support.

"The ASYCUDA system has assisted us not only in trade facilitation but also in enforcement, investigations, intelligence and targeting," Commissioner Sine said.

The Commissioner also emphasized the importance of cyber security, highlighting the need to safeguard data collected through the ASYCUDA platform.

"We must protect the system and make it safer for our operations as we continue to facilitate legitimate trade and maintain the trust of our external stakeholders," he added.

UNCTAD Regional Coordinator Dhanushki Sahabandu reiterated the rapidly evolving nature of technology and acknowledged the importance of long-term collaboration.

"In 2025 we were able to provide more senior technical assistance and increased in-country support," she stated.

"In all five countries, the systems are now very stable."

"In 2026, we are taking a more forward looking and innovative approach, one that fosters growth, knowledge sharing and continued enhancement through ASMP," she said.

The meeting reviewed progress made by all member administrations, assessed the support provided, and discussed lessons learned going forward.

"It is a great privilege to have been having this meeting for over 24 years and to have secured longstanding partnerships with all of you," Sahabandu added.

UNCTAD has been supporting Pacific Customs administrations across the region in implementing modernization and automation initiatives.

After the establishment of the ASMP in 2001, PNG Customs joined in 2008 and has since received technical, capacity building and advisory support.