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AP Regional workshop on CEN applications

WCO Regional Training Center (RTC),

Malacca, Malaysia

From 08 to 12 January 2024

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CEN applications overview

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© 2019 World Customs Organization (WCO)

Ousmane COUNDOUL

Technical Officer,

CEN and CTS Programmes Manager

Global RILO Network Coordinator

WCO Compliance Sub-Directorate

ousmane.coundoul@wcoomd.org

Beijing WANG

WCO Pre-accredited Expert

on CEN Applications

China Customs

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beijing7979@yahoo.com

Shruti MEHROTRA

WCO Pre-accredited Expert

on CEN Applications

India Customs

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shruti.mehrotra@gov.in

I. CEN applications overview

III. nCEN application

IV. CENcomm application

II. CEN application

V. CEN data visualization

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Presentation Overview

CEN applications overview

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Understanding the unique differences as well as the shared functionalities of the three applications in the CEN Suite is crucial.

CEN : Customs Enforcement Network

nCEN : national Customs Enforcement Network

CENcomm : Customs Enforcement Network communication

The CEN suite Applications, also known as the CEN Applications, consist of three distinct but interoperable applications.

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CEN applications overview

• Beverages;
• Cultural Objects;
• Currency;
• Drug precursor chemicals;
• Drugs;
• Fauna and Flora (CITES and non-CITES);
• Hazardous materials;
• IPR;

• Medicine and Pharmaceutical Products;
• Other prohibitions and restrictions;
• Pornography/Paedophilia;
• Radioactive and nuclear materials;
• Strategic goods;
• Tax and duty evasion;
• Tobacco;
• Weapons and explosives.

A single classification of goods is applied across the three applications. This classification includes sixteen categories of commodities:

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CEN applications overview

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CEN is a global non-nominal database of customs sei­zures and offences developed in 2000 by the WCO.

The purpose of data collection within the CEN is to facilitate the analysis of illicit trade activities. This involves identifying emerging trends and patterns, which in turn aids in the development of insightful intelligence products to combat these illegal practices effectively.

CEN is installed on a WCO server. It is maintained and managed by the WCO Secretariat.

CEN is available in 11 languages : Arabic, English, French, Georgian, Laotian, Mongolian, Portuguese, Russian, Serbian, Spanish and Ukrainian.

The CEN is the major platform for exchange of data, information and intelligence between customs

Definition and Principles

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CEN application

Access to the CEN is granted based on the CEN Access Form provided by the WCO Secretariat

As a basic principle, the CEN is accessible to Customs officers only (from WCO Members or not)

The CEN access form must be signed by the Director General of the requesting Customs Administration or Head of Delegation to the WCO.

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The form must be sent to the WCO Secretariat for the creation of a user account.

The Director General or Head of Delegation to the WCO from each Customs Administration may delegate the authority to sign CEN access forms to one or several individuals. In this case, a CEN Designated Officers Form provided by the WCO Secretariat must be completed.

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The form is kept on record by the WCO Secretariat and remains valid until it is replaced by a new or updated version.

Definition and Principles

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CEN application

For officers working from the WCO Regional bodies like :

• Regional Intelligence Liaison Office (RILO)

• Regional Training Centres (RTC),

• Regional Office for Capacity Building (ROCB)

Definition and Principles

CEN access form can be signed by the dedicated Head of the entity

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CEN application

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Definition

nCEN is installed on a local server and managed by the implementing Administration.

Access to nCEN is managed at national level.

Same kind of application as CEN with four databases containing nominal data :

• Seizures and offences

• Suspected persons

• Company

• Person

The WCO does not have direct access to any nCEN

It is recommended for nCEN users to have access to the global CEN for analysis from global perspective

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nCEN Application

58 nCEN countries

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CEN application

58 nCEN countries

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CEN application

• The same classification of commodities and pictures in the seizure databases

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• The same structure of the data fields for concealment, conveyance, route, detection method etc.

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• The same structure of the extracted data allows analysis from different perspectives

CEN

nCEN

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nCEN Application

• National reference number and Icomm numbers allow easy identification of national cases;

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• Non-nominal parts of the data can be transferred between the nCEN and the CEN automatically with the use of Icomm.

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As soon as nCEN is implemented, a country will not have to create any new cases in the CEN database.

CEN

nCEN

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nCEN Application

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CENcomm serves as a secure communication platform designed specifically for Closed User Groups (CUGs).

It enables users within these groups to exchange information securely and in real time, tailored to the specific needs and duration of an ongoing operation or project.

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CENcomm application

Project BOLT

On average, approximately 100 Closed User Groups (CUGs) are formed annually to facilitate operations and projects.

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CENcomm application

CENcomm is available in English, French, Arabic , Portuguese, Russian and Spanish

CENcomm offers more flexibility

It can be accessible to all users depending only on the purpose the CUG.

�It is managed by the owner (Operational Coordination Unit plus (OCU+)) of the CUG.

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National Contact Point plus (NCP+) is autonomous at national level

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CENcomm application

Libraries for reference materials

Exchange of structured messages (Seizure, warning and feedback)

An internal secure communication system

Downloadable databases containing collected information

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CENcomm application

CEN data visualization

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was launched to help users and enforcement agencies without analytical and IT skills to uncover hidden trends and patterns behind the row data.

The tool is based on dashboards that can help to perform in-depth analysis, spot trends, and investigate specific cases related to customs seizures and offenses by using several filters.

A dashboard is a visual display of the most important information on a single screen.

By summarizing complex information, dashboards help users to find trends and patterns behind row data without analysis skill or sophisticated IT skill requirements.

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The CEN Data visualization is funded by Indian Customs

CEN Data Visualization

Building interactive dashboards to leverage CEN Data

Accessing the tool

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nCEN application

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The CEN Data visualization is funded by Indian Customs

CEN Data Visualization

Building interactive dashboards to leverage CEN Data

QUESTIONS ?

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THANK YOU