goTravel Software Solution

Background

The United Nations Countering Terrorist Travel ('CT Travel') Programme aims at building the capacity of Member States to prevent, detect and investigate terrorist offenses and related travel by using Advance Passenger Information (API) and Passenger Name Record (PNR) data in line with Security Council Resolutions 2178, 2396 and 2482, international standards and recommended practices and human rights principles..

The UN Office of Information and Communications Technology (OICT) is one of the implementing partners under the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) capacity-building Countering Terrorist Travel Programme.

The goTravel solution is a United Nations-owned software solution derived from the Travel Information Portal (TRIP), developed by The Netherlands. The UN received full ownership of the TRIP solution at the margins of the High-Level Segment of the 73rd Session of the UN General Assembly and has further developed and deployed it to Member States also offering ongoing support while engaging in the enhancement of their capacity to use API and PNR data to detect terrorists and serious crimes and their travel movements in compliance with Security Council resolutions 2178, 2396 and 2482.

The United Nations Security Council resolutions 2178, 2396 and 2482 require Member States to:

• Receive and analyse advance passenger information (API)
• Develop capabilities to receive and analyse passenger name records (PNR)
• Make full use of relevant watchlists
• Share information about FTF and terrorists using commercial air transports within their jurisdiction and across jurisdictions

goTravel supports the end-to-end process for law enforcement to obtain passenger data from (airline) carriers and conduct targeted analysis as well as share the findings of their data assessment. Member States adopt the UN-owned goTravel solution to enable the automated analysis of large data volumes on passengers on all inbound and outbound traffic. goTravel currently supports air travel data collection/analysis/dissemination.

The goTravel scope is being extended to cover maritime passenger traffic and will further branch out to cover international high-speed rail and road information. Expected data volumes to be analyzed exceed several million records per year for any medium-sized country. Automated analysis and watchlist matching are instrumental to enabling the establishment of intelligence packages for transmission to competent authorities for their action on the ground, as relevant.

The United Nations Office of Counter Terrorism Technology Adoption Pillar Model

UNOCT develops and maintains goTravel’s source code under the neutral United Nations “Blue Flag”, with guidance from Member States who are using goTravel and are the key drivers for platform enhancements and new software features through established governance in the form of the goTravel International User Community.

The goTravel software solution is provided to Member States free of charge and is deployed within Member States administrations, and no data is managed by the United Nations. Currently 2 countries are using the solution for live operations with another 21 at different level of testing before production launch.

Member States beneficiaries and users of goTravel contribute to UNOCT costs for the provision of expertise, including the deployment, installation and maintenance support to countries that adopt the solution. The contribution model is based on a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Member States adopting the goTravel solution.

For the initial two years from the date of the signature of the MoA, all new releases and updates of the goTravel software and related support services are free to the recipient Member State as they are covered under the United Nations Countering Terrorist Travel Programme generously funded by a number of Donor countries. Should the country using goTravel decide to continue to use the software beyond the initial 2 years period, it can opt-in to a non-profit partnership with all other participating states sharing the costs of maintenance, software updates and 3rd-level ICT support. This translate into a yearly contribution to the CT Travel programme earmarked to the provision of goTravel support.

Some of the benefits derived from the deployment of goTravel are:

1. Sustainability in technology investment by beneficiaries Member States

UNOCT-owned technology applications are installed in Member States' data centers. However, they are centrally maintained by UNOCT to ensure seamless operations and to yield sustainability in the Member State's technology investment. It's worth noting that the UN does not have access to the data managed by these solutions.

2. Economies of scale

The CT Travel programme financial model, devised to cover the long-term costs of sustaining a dedicated in-house technology team for supporting and maintaining deployed solutions in Member States, embodies a principle of economies of scale.  Put simply, the more Member States that adopt the solution, the less they need to allocate for sustaining the central cost. This cost is distributed based on a three-tiered approach, calculated at 50,000/100,000/150,000 per year per country utilizing goTravel. These calculations take into account beneficiaries Member States GDP and HDI indexes.

3. Best practices in cybersecurity and human rights/data privacy safeguards

UNOCT-owned technology applications are configurable to meet the unique requirements of Member States, while upholding security and adhering to human rights and data privacy norms. Technical safeguards embedded in the software guarantee compliance with local, regional, and international legislative provisions and standards.

4. International cooperation

The utilization of the same technology application across multiple Member States, addressing similar workflows and operationalizing counter-terrorism practices, fosters and bolsters international cooperation. This harmonization enables the adoption of best international practices, ensuring effective and efficient results on the ground. With a simple click, data can be seamlessly exchanged among different Member States utilizing the same technology solution.

5. Continuous engagement on emerging technology and end users requirements

UNOCT serves as a long-term partner for Counter Terrorism entities in Member States. UNOCT’s efforts in technology adoption are sustained through the introduction of modular and scalable solutions that flexibly adapt to specific needs and leverage emerging technologies, all tailored to the actual needs and maturity level of Member States.

Through the adoption, support and maintenance of goTravel the CT Travel programme engage in a change in culture towards how best UNOCT can achieve its mandates through digital transformation in its beneficiary Member States.

Carriers, Single Window, Passenger Information Units (PIU)