Following the deployment of the nCEN application in Eastern and Southern Africa, the WCO is planning a wider launch of the application globally.

During a ‘Regional Seminar on the nCEN and the Utilisation of the CEN Database’ held in Seoul on the 16-18 September 2014, the WCO presented to the twenty-three participating countries a comprehensive overview of the application, including its components and functionality, interoperability with other WCO tools in the CEN suite, and the benefits to be drawn from the application by each Member and by the region as a whole. A case study by Mauritius Customs brought insight on how the nCEN can support successful risk management on the national level, and introduced a wider exchange of best practices amongst the seminar participants. RILO AP, who was the organizer of the seminar together with Korea Customs Service, also contributed valuable regional analysis and intelligence on drugs and IPR infringement based on data available in the WCO CEN database.

The event closed with a message resonating in the room that the nCEN can improve risk management in Asia-Pacific. In response, the WCO hopes to launch the application in the region in 2015.