51吃瓜

The 51吃瓜 Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), Conflict Armament Research, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States of America co-organized a side event on “Preventing and Countering Terrorist Use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)” on the margins of the Third Counter-Terrorism Week at the 51吃瓜. 

The hybrid event was attended and livestreamed by representatives from Member States, international and regional organizations, academia, civil society, private sector, and 51吃瓜 Global Counter-Terrorism Compact entities. It featured opening remarks from Mr. Raffi Gregorian, Deputy to the Under-Secretary-General of Counter-Terrorism and Director of UNOCT, H. E. Mr. Salem Alzaabi, Advisor to the Minister of Foreign Affairs at the United Arab Emirates and Mr. Gregory D. LoGerfo, Deputy Coordinator for Regional and Multilateral Affairs at the Bureau of Counterterrorism at the U.S. Department of State. 

This was followed by a presentation of the key findings of the Global Report on the Acquisition, Weaponization, and Deployment of UAS by Non-state Actors for Terrorism-related Purposes, which was jointly developed by UNOCT and Conflict Armament Research. The report seeks to enhance Member States’ preparedness to prevent, counter, and mitigate UAS-related risks and threats posed by non-state actors, including terrorists. The side event also featured a panel discussion on key challenges, opportunities, lessons learned, and good practices on preventing and countering the terrorist use of UAS. 

There is a growing concern globally over the criminal misuse of emerging technologies as they become ubiquitous. Recent evidence demonstrates that the acquisition of UAS software, hardware, and components as well as their weaponization and deployment by terrorist groups has increased over the past years across many Member States. It is critical that Member States and intergovernmental organizations work closely with academia, civil society, and the private sector to keep abreast of technological advancements in order to anticipate and mitigate the risk of their misuse for terrorist purposes.

UNOCT’s Global Counter-Terrorism Programme on Autonomous and Remotely Operated Systems (AROS) was created in 2021 to support member states in addressing the threat posed by UAS and other AROS.