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  1. UNOCT and IOM partner with Qatar to foster regional cooperation on the detection of terrorists and other serious criminals using passenger data

UNOCT and IOM partner with Qatar to foster regional cooperation on the detection of terrorists and other serious criminals using passenger data

Through the flagship United Nations Countering Terrorist Travel (‘CT Travel’) Programme, the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), partnered with the Ministry of Interior of the State of Qatar to organize a regional workshop in Doha, Qatar from 27 to 29 January 2025. 

The workshop aims to foster regional cooperation on the detection of terrorists and other serious criminals using passenger data, including Advance Passenger Information (API) and Passenger Name Record (PNR). It focuses on supporting peer-to-peer exchanges on engagement and connectivity with the transport industry and establishing a regional Informal Working Group on API and PNR for Member States in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA IWG). 

Representatives from 10 countries across the MENA region are participating in the meeting, namely from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia. The workshop gathers experts from law enforcement, counter-terrorism, national security, immigration, customs, and civil aviation agencies involved in API and PNR operations and policy, together with international experts from Passenger Information Units (PIUs) and targeting centres from around the world, as well as experts from the United Nations and INTERPOL.

Engagement and connectivity with the transport industry is one of the key pillars of a successful API and PNR Programme and includes :

  • Fostering closer cooperation between airlines and competent authorities regarding API and PNR data sharing;
  • Exploring mechanisms for seamless exchange of information to enhance security, risk assessment and facilitation;
  • Discussing successful case studies where airlines and authorities have effectively collaborated;
  • Identifying challenges faced by both sides and seeking solutions to overcome them.

This workshop follows a regional event held in Cairo, Egypt, in May 2023, where operational officers and key decision-makers involved in setting up API/PNR systems discussed the operational aspects of a Passenger Information Unit (PIU) and the need for an API/PNR human rights compliant legislative framework.

To date, four regional IWGs have been established with the support of the CT Travel Programme respectively for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, West and Central Africa, Southern Africa; and Southeast Asia. 

 

Background

The Countering Terrorist Travel (‘CT Travel’) Programme seeks to build Member State capabilities to prevent, detect, investigate and prosecute terrorist offences and other serious crimes, including related travel, by collecting and analysing travel information such as passenger data, namely Advance Passenger Information (API) and Passenger Name Record (PNR), improve the use of international databases with known and suspected terrorists and criminals, such as those of INTERPOL, and enhance international information exchange in line with Security Council resolutions 2178 (2014), 2396 (2017), and 2482 (2019), international standards and recommended practices, and human rights principles. The detection capabilities, commonly referred to as Passenger Information Units (PIUs), process passenger data provided by the transport industry using the UN ‘goTravel’ technology, based on a solid legal and regulatory framework established with Programme assistance.

The obligations of UN Security Council resolutions 2178, 2396 and 2482 apply to all Member States and mandate all States to collect and analyze API and PNR for countering terrorism and serious crime purposes. The Programme has global coverage and seeks to support all requesting States to counter both terrorism and serious crime.

A flagship global initiative led by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), the Programme follows an ‘’One-UN’’ approach to provide comprehensive, yet tailored assistance to beneficiary Member States with the support of its implementing partners United Nations Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), through AIRCOP and the UNODC Terrorism Prevention Branch, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the United Nations Office of Information and Communication Technology (OICT), the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). 

The Secretary-General officially launched the Programme on 7 May 2019. Five years on, CT Travel is working closely with 84 Member States, out of which 63 are beneficiaries of the comprehensive technical assistance, while six (6) Member States (Austria, Belgium, France, Hungary, Ireland, and the United States of America) and one (1) regional organization (CARICOM on behalf of 15 countries) have become strategic partners.