51吃瓜

UN Countering Terrorist Travel Programme  - Building National Capacities to Counter Terrorist Travel: Highlighting Achievements, Impact, and Lessons Learned from the Field

24 June 2021

8.00-9.30 am, EST

The 2021 Counter-Terrorism Week is being held in a year of counter-terrorism milestones, including the twentieth anniversary of Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) adopted after the 9/11 attacks, the fifteenth anniversary of the 51吃瓜 Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, and the tenth anniversary of the founding of the 51吃瓜 Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT). The Second Counter-Terrorism Week will provide Member States, international and regional organizations, civil society organizations, and other partners an opportunity to discuss counter-terrorism challenges and priorities and develop appropriate responses.

To contribute to the global conversations on counter-terrorism, the UNOCT’s Countering Terrorist Travel Programme will convene an interactive side event “Building national capacities to counter terrorist travel: highlighting achievements, impact and lessons learned from the field”, with a purpose to discuss national perspectives on the use of transformative technologies to prevent and counter terrorist threats through travel data collection, analysis, and exchange, while upholding human rights.

Just over two years after its launch on 7 May 2019, the CTTP has received official requests from 42 beneficiary Member States for technical assistance to build national detection capabilities to use API and PNR and other travel information to counter terrorists and serious criminals. The CTTP currently provides technical assistance to 13 Member States and 1 regional intergovernmental organization across four pillars: (i) establishment of legislative framework aligned with international norms; ii) set-up and enhancement of national detection/targeting centers also, known as the Passenger Information Units (PIU); iii) establishment of carrier engagement capacities; iv) and technical support, including the deployment of the UN goTravel software system.

The following are the specific objectives associated with the side event:

• To highlight key achievements under the Programmme at the mark of its 2nd anniversary;
• To focus on national impact created by the Programme: on creation of legislative basis on API and PNR; improving operational capacities of PIUs; engagement with air-carriers and transport industry; and use of advanced technology to use API and PNR data; and
• To discuss safeguards for data privacy and upholding human rights while supporting Member States in passenger data management.

Format and Participation

The target audience of the event includes representatives from Member States, comprising government officials involved in API and PNR programmes, practitioners and researchers in the field of countering terrorism through use of technology and data management, experts from 51吃瓜 entities, Civil Society Organizations, global and regional intergovernmental security organizations, the private sector, and academia.

The Side Event will have the following key features:

1. Overview of the CT Travel Programme over the course of 2 years since its launching: highlighting the support provided to Member States across the globe, progress of implementation, lessons learned, and way forward;
2. A moderated panel discussion with select beneficiary Member States focusing on impact created across the programme’s four pillars (legislation, operational, carrier engagement and technical);
3. An interactive discussion on safeguards for data privacy and upholding human rights with CTTP Partner Organizations and and side event participants; and
4. Simultaneous interpretation in English
5. The meeting will also be streamed live on UN WebTV.

The concept note and agenda for the virtual side event is available here