Quantifying risk is a vital for customs to achieve a balance between facilitation and control. In order to improve the accuracy of risk assessment methods, it is very essential for Customs to perform a risk assessment with Data Analytics. 

In this context, the WCO organized the first Regional Workshop on the development of selectivity systems using data analytics. The Workshop took place in Doha, Qatar from 1 to 5 December 2019 with the financial support from Qatar Customs to implement data analytics driven risk assessment within Customs Administrations from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region.   

Customs worldwide are analysing data for risk assessment purposes. Enhancing customs ability to perform increasingly sophisticated analytics using the available data will be crucial in improving risk assessment methods. The purpose of the Workshop discussed those aspects in order to improve the ability of Customs to produce more efficient, more effective, and timelier risk profiles. 

Best practices and experiences from the MENA Members related to the different methodologies to develop risk assessment algorithms were shared with Participants. The workshop also provided an opportunity to discuss the use machine learning (ML) to carry out predictive analysis and produce risk profiles. Qatar customs provided, during the Worksop, a presentation on the use of Artificial Intelligence to validate the data and identify anomalies for risk assessment purposes.

During the closing ceremony, the Chairman of Qatar Customs Authority mentioned that traditional analytics can be instrumental when it comes to better understanding past events or risks that occur with a high degree of frequency. But for forward-looking scenarios, using AI and ML is crucial to deliver valuable insights.