Pillar 2. Border Security Effective monitoring and protection of Vanuatu’s borders and its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Border security is a fundamental responsibility of the state, to safeguard national land, air and sea space. Further, a well-managed border connects a country to the world, and enables it to manage risks while benefitting from the flow of people and goods that are essential to prosperity and social exchange. However, significant world-wide increases in the movement of people and goods and the rapid increase in the number and reach of new and more sophisticated external threats mean that Vanuatu’s border protection will require closer attention than it has received in the past. Current and emerging threats include transnational crime, illegal fishing, human trafficking, terrorism, the introduction of diseases and exotic pests, and smuggling and other attempts to evade the payment of taxes and excise. Image: Vanuatu Daily Post 28 Part 2. Building a happy and secure future Managing border security involves a number of government agencies – often in cooperation with commercial aviation and shipping operators (see BOX). Close cooperation is essential. Moreover, most border threats are transnational, and can only be adequately addressed by members of the region working closely together and sharing information, including through regional and international organisations. This is particularly the case in the Pacific, a vast region comprised of small, remote island countries with limited resources of their own. Experience around the world demonstrates that transnational crime has the potential to undermine political processes, weaken security, harm communities, fuel corruption, inhibit economic development, and impede Internal Affairs Minister Andrew Napuat processes the first passengers at the November 2018 launch of the new Automated System for Customs Data (ASCUDA) passenger processing module at Bauerfield Airport, which is improving the efficiency and security checking of arrivals.