Counter-Terrorism Technical Assistance Programmes

Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (Organization)

 

 

Technical Assistance Programme Description	The Counter-Terrorism Task Force (CTTF) is committed to coordinating the implementation of the Leaders' Statement on Fighting Terrorism and Promoting Growth agreed to in October 2002. The CTTF's role is to identify and assess counter-terrorism needs, coordinate capacity building and technical assistance programs, cooperate with international and regional organizations and facilitate cooperation between APEC fora on counter-terrorism issues. APEC's Counter Terrorism Action Plans (CTAPs) were developed by the CTTF as a tool for tracking the progress of economies in implementing Leaders' directions of APEC's security and counter-terrorism related work programme, and for identifying the capacity building assistance required by member economies to implement these measures. Each CTAP provides a concise checklist of counter-terrorism measures undertaken by an APEC member economy. These include the Key elements of the Secure Trade in the APEC Region (STAR) initiative for securing cargoes, protecting people in transit, protecting ships engaged in international voyages and international aviation; measures to halt the financing of terrorism; promoting cyber security; energy security; and the health of communities. Capacity building and the assessment of needs are both important to the successful implementation of APEC's Counter-terrorism related activities. The majority of APEC's programs are implemented on a regional basis. APEC funding is only provided when several economies participate in the activity. The majority of APEC's programs are designed to provide a comprehensive and coherent approach to common, regional counter-terrorism capacity-building needs. This approach also assists strategic leveraging of the limited counter-terrorism capacity-building resources of APEC, member economies and other international organisations to ensure that these resources are directed in the most effective manner to maximize the return on investment.
Technical Assistance Methodology	In 2005 the Task Force concluded the CTAPs Cross Analysis Study, which identified APEC regional counter-terrorism capacity building needs to assist economies to implement Leaders' counter-terrorism directions and developed a list of potential donor assistance items for future capacity building efforts. APEC expects that by examining and identifying regional capacity-building needs, and sharing the findings with international donor organisations, future technical assistance initiatives may be targeted more specifically towards regional capacity needs. The study identified three priority areas for capacity-building: protecting cargo; protecting ships; and protecting the health of communities. A fourth issue: implementing the U.N. and other international instruments by relevant members, is indicated as important, but is being responded to by donors to a greater extent than the former. In summary, clear regional capacity-building need emerges on: International Ship and Port Security (ISPS) related issues; and the emergence and recurrence of diseases. There is also considerable emphasis on capacity-building assistance needs in the following areas: The development of counter-terrorism expertise; World Customs Organisation issues; and anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing measures.
Technical Assistance Eligibility	APEC funded capacity building programs are limited to members and invited participants. Members must agree in advance to the participation of non-member states and organizations in APEC activities.
Organization's Members	Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, People's Republic of China, Hong Kong, China, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea (South Korea), Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei (Taiwan), Thailand, United States of America (USA), Viet Nam

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