From Take-Off to Landing – UNOCT and UNODC AIRCOP partner under the UN Countering Terrorist Travel Programme to build Member States capacities
The United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) in partnership with UNODC Airport Communication Project (AIRCOP) co-organized a virtual side event, ‘From take-off to landing: Providing assistance to set up a Passenger Information Unit under the United Nations Countering Terrorist Travel Program’s Operational Pillar’, on the margins of 30th Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ). The CCPCJ is the principal policy making body of the United Nations in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice.
Jointly organized by UNOCT and UNODC on behalf of the UN Countering Terrorist Travel (CT Travel) programme partners, this event focused on the programme’s operational pillar, led by UNODC AIRCOP, which provides capacity-building assistance to beneficiary Member States in establishing Passenger Information Units (PIU). This side event shed light on the critical role the CT Travel Programme is playing in supporting Member States in their efforts to prevent and counter terrorist travel and serious crimes. It was attended by representatives from Member States, academia, and civil society organizations as well as a range of United Nations entities.
The event garnered insights and lessons learned from the ongoing implementation of capacity building in three beneficiary Member States: Azerbaijan, The Gambia, and Togo. Representatives from each country outlined support received under the programme, including capacity-building assistance, trainings, as well as operational support. The three beneficiary countries also highlighted how this assistance is helping them in establishing national PIUs to support their efforts to detect and prevent terrorist travel as well as serious crime through the use and analysis of Advance Passenger Information (API) and Passenger Name Records (PNR).
About the CT Travel Programme
Two years after the launch of the CT Travel programme, over 40 beneficiary Member States have received comprehensive, tailored support across four pillars of the programme: legislative, operational, engagement with transport industry, and technical support for the deployment and implementation of the UN ‘goTravel’ software solution.
The programme also aims at improving the use of international law enforcement databases, such as INTERPOL I-24/7, as well as enhancing international information exchange, in accordance with Security Council resolutions 2178 (2014), 2396 (2017), and 2482 (2019), relevant privacy and human rights laws and gender considerations.
The CT Travel Programme is supported by generous contributions from Kingdom of Netherlands, the European Union, the United States of America, the State of Qatar, Australia, Japan, and the Republic of India, and with in-kind support from Hungary and is being implemented in an ‘All-of-UN’ approach by UNOCT, UNODC, ICAO, CTED, INTERPOL, and UNOICT.