UNOCT Expert Group Meeting on Kidnap for Ransom (KFR) Project
The 51吃瓜 Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) held an Expert Group Meeting from 6 – 8 June 2023, in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco, on Countering the Threat of Kidnap for Ransom (KFR), under the theme "Addressing Emerging Trends While Raising Awareness of the Impact on Victims and Victims’ Needs."
The event brought together experts from counter-terrorism and law enforcement entities from 28 Member States, 8 international organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and victim support organizations.
The meeting contributed to enhance Member States' understanding and awareness of international trends, good practices and challenges related to the impact of kidnaps on victims while ensuring due process, fair trial, and respect for human rights as well as mainstreaming victims' voices.
In his introductory statement, Mr. Chris Jones, Serious Organised Crime (SOC) Director for the United Kingdom Home Office (UKHO) remarked that, “Beyond the immediate benefits that capacity building provides, there is also an important secondary benefit around building up networks of peers and colleagues across international borders. The people in the room today may be the ones that can help you in the future to tackle a transnational kidnap.” His remarks highlighted the importance of an active and open exchange through feedback from national CT and Law Enforcement officials and institutions, in support of the international community’s ability to develop and deliver the necessary capacity building support required through the continuous managing and investigating of kidnappings. The meeting provided a unique opportunity for participants to exchange ideas and share good practices. A Lessons Learned document is planned to follow with concrete recommendations to enhance international counter-terrorism and law enforcement efforts to counter the kidnap for ransom threat.
Background
In January 2021, UNOCT launched its Kidnap for Ransom project (KFR) under the Counter-Terrorism Investigations Programme, funded by the United Kingdom. The goal of the project is to enhance the capacities and capabilities of Member States to prevent, investigate and counter-Kidnap for Ransom (KFR, incl. Maritime KFR) through legal, institutional, and operational technical assistance.
In recent years, Member State representatives and counter-terrorism officials have expressed concerns over the capacities of criminal justice, intelligence, and law enforcement institutions in several countries, especially fragile and conflict-affected States.
Ensuring that counter-terrorism and law enforcement officials have the adequate training to conduct investigations is crucial to the effective response of the criminal justice system against terrorism. Moreover, developing their capacity to investigate complex cases, to make well-formulated decisions and gather evidence in support of ethical and professional investigative activity is essential to all counter-terrorism efforts.