51吃瓜

The 51吃瓜 Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), under the framework of its flagship Countering Terrorist Travel (‘CT Travel’) Programme,   launched  the South East Asia regional Informal Working Group (IWG) on Advance Passenger Information (API) and Passenger Name Record (PNR) in Manila, the Philippines. Hosted by the Bureau of Immigration of the Republic of the Philippines and supported by the Government of Australia, the launch event was attended by over 100 delegates representing law enforcement, counter-terrorism, security, and civil aviation agencies from ten countries in the South East Asia region, as well as experts from Australia, Latvia, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and relevant agencies.

The South-East Asia IWG on the use of Advance Passenger Information (API) and Passenger Name Record (PNR) data aims to foster regional cooperation and coordination to support the detection of terrorists and other serious criminals. The IWG was established as a mechanism to support Member States in the region to implement UN Security Council Resolutions (2014), (2017), and (2019) by providing a forum to exchange best practices and lessons regarding the collection and use of passenger data. 
 
 During his opening Remarks, Commissioner of the Bureau of Immigration, Honourable Mr. Norman Tansingco stated ‘’As Co-Convenor of this event, I would like to assure you that this two-day forum will be able to provide each expert-level participant from at least ten (10) countries a comprehensive overview of what it takes to build national API and PNR systems and associated Passenger Information Units (PIUs), as well as to take stock of the current levels of implementation in each country.’’ 
 
Mr. Jose Cadiz Jr., USEC at the Department of Justice of the Philippines, stressed on behalf of Honorable Jesus Crispin Remulla, Secretary of Justice of the Philippines that “The Advance Passenger Information (API) and Passenger Name Record (PNR) systems serve as a proactive tool in effective border control as well as countering terrorism. Through API and PNR and by working together, we amplify our capacity to address emerging threats and enhance our capabilities to address terrorism among others.” 
 
Dr. Moya Collett, Deputy Head of Australian Embassy in Manila noted “Australia and the Philippines upgraded our relationship to a Strategic Partnership this year. The work of the API and PNR Program is a key element of our partnership as we work together to keep our people safe”... 
 
The regional IWG aims to foster cooperation and the exchange of information among participating Member States based on reciprocity or mutual agreement and following commonly agreed principles and rules. The end goal is to ensure that Member States share a common language and have access to a forum for peer-to-peer support to enable learning from each other. The systematic use of API and PNR support countries counter evolving terrorists threats that pose a grave challenge to security and stability. 
 
Speaking about the importance of ensuring cross-border partnerships to counter terrorism, Ms. Christine Bradley, Chief of Countering Terrorist Travel Section at UNOCT, noted “In-person meetings such as this allow you to network and build trust with one another. Ideally, your PIUs will get to know one another through this IWG and will trust one another – so that when information needs to be shared among your law enforcement agencies – the network you’ve made through the IWG can help with the sharing of information.” 
 
The IWG meeting allowed participants to gain a better understanding of the efforts being made by Member States across the region through discussions on existing API and PNR capabilities and challenges faced in establishing operational systems. The European Union’s (EU) regional cooperation framework on passenger data serves as the role model for the initiative. The EU has provided financial support to establish the regional IWG. 
 
Key points of discussion at the meeting also included legal frameworks, operational modalities for establishment of Passenger Information Units, engagement and connectivity with the transport industry, technology and innovation, and technical assistance available to support the Member States to strengthen their detection capacities, including through the CT Travel Programme.