Blog
In line with the development and delivery of a Risk Management System for Customs and OGAs under the Strengthening of the Trinidad and Tobago Electronic Single Window, On November 7-8, TTEK delivered a comprehensive 2-day Customs focused risk management workshop, designed exclusively for Customs practitioners.
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has never intended to open source ASYCUDA (as the WCO recently did in June 2017 with their Cargo Targeting System). It seems clear that Intergovernmental Organizations (IGOs) should not be in the business of building and selling rudimentary software solutions, and donors should not be funding the development or deployment especially when there is an appearance of a kickback scheme for a select few...
We’ve prepared a series of upcoming posts over the next 1-2 weeks regarding ASYCUDA that might draw some interest and discussion. A few months ago, I had posted a blog on ASYCUDA called: “The ASYCUDA Myth Part 1: Is UNCTAD fostering a No-Bid Sole Source Contract for ASYCUDA World?” This post can be accessed here and discussed the various tactics employed by UNCTAD to secure a sole source deployment of ASYCUDA under the guise of a misleading feasibility study.
The next in the series (posted here today) is called, “The ASYCUDA Myth Part 2: United Nations Audit Reveals Collusion, and Conflicts of Interest”, and is based on the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight services (OIOS) audits in 2008 and 2012. Surprisingly, many in our community are still unaware of these reports and the internal conflicts they exposed. Personally, I only discovered them in the last year. If you are in anyway involved in trade facilitation, customs modernization, and/or capacity building in the developing world, it is very important to understand the specifics of ASYCUDA development to date and where this system is likely headed.
This blog will be followed by 2 more blogs in the next 2 weeks called,
“The ASYCUDA Myth Part 3: Where is ASYCUDA Millennium?”
and ;
“The ASYCUDA Myth Part 4: Time to Open Source.”
I hope these blogs are enjoyed and prompt much discussion to make the positive change that is desperately needed.
I'll be honest. I'm intrigued but I'm still not entirely clear on how this can be used to enhance supply chain visibility for Customs and border processing. It's also not entirely clear yet how the trading community wants to implement this and how a Customs and Other Government Agencies will want to influence (if they should at all?).
The WCO professes the CTS to be a complete, efficient, and effective solution. Based on this scorecard I’d say that’s a bit of an exaggeration and taken from the UNCTAD ASYCUDA Playbook discussed in Part 1 of the WCO CTS Myth.
They further describe it as user-friendly, simple, powerful, affordable, and sustainable. They say everything is required to implement and sustain an effective cargo manifest risk assessment solution. Like a technology vendor, they state they will provide the hardware, data assistance, training, support, maintenance. The WCO is suddenly discovering that software development can be difficult. As one example, they’ve only obtained 40% of the cargo data in some countries. That goes a long way from the full visibility needed at the border. (Maybe goods aren’t being smuggled in the other 60%?) ....
A good discussion followed Part 1 of The WCO CTS Myth. Access the PART 1 blog here. Part 2 will focus on the functions and integration methodology for the system. It sounds like the WCO thinks it is doing the right thing by building an entry level targeting system for it’s members who want one. There’s nothing overly nefarious here. The problem is, it puts the WCO in direct competition with the technology vendors....
The World Customs Organization (WCO) is blocking the technology providers from those countries who require and seek a robust risk management solution, by suggesting their Cargo Targeting System (CTS) as the only viable solution available. No market awareness or survey is provided. Sure -the WCO will point members to the TEN network or WCO IT Conference, but it’s clear to us that members are shown all roads lead to the CTS…. especially when they are told it makes them compliant with WCO SAFE....
Stewart Jeacocke is the Customs Leader from the IBM Center of Competence. He's promoting what is likely the best idea yet for the future of ASYCUDA and the WCO's CTS.
As part of our development road-map, we are blazing a new path forward by incorporating machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) methodologies. What if you could automate your profiling of high risk shipments, people, and conveyances, and bring those "learnings" to your front end decision support system (e.g. our Operational Risk Management System) in real time? As part of our development road-map, we are going to merge the strategic back end historical trend analysis and predictive analytics with tactical and operational front end targeting and selectivity systems. Here's how...
