At a regional expert workshop on the protection of critical infrastructure against terrorist attacks, participants raised several important challenges to effectively implement Security Council resolution 2341 (2017) related to this theme. These included domestic multi-stakeholder coordination, public/private partnerships, limited resources (especially in remote areas), and information-sharing. The question of privacy (and human rights, more broadly) was also discussed at great length.
Experts gathered in Singapore for first regional workshop on the protection of critical infrastructure against terrorist attacks.
Held at the INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation in Singapore on 15-17 January 2019, the workshop was organized by the United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT). It was attended by Government officials from the region, as well as experts from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), INTERPOL, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the Japanese Atomic Energy Agency.
Participants at the INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation in Singapore.
In addition to requiring Member States to protect critical infrastructure against terrorist attacks, Security Council resolution 2341 (2017) also encourages the Counter-Terrorism Committee, with the support of CTED and the Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact Task Force, to continue to work together to facilitate the delivery of technical assistance and capacity-building to Member States and to raise awareness of the need to protect critical infrastructure from terrorist attacks, in particular by strengthening the dialogue between States and relevant international, regional and sub-regional organizations.
The workshop also served to promote a Compendium of Good Practices on the Protection of Critical Infrastructures Against Terrorist Attacks, which was developed under the guidance of CTED and formally launched in New York in 2018. The Government of Japan provided financial support for the workshop which aimed to raise awareness of and promote the implementation of Security Council resolution 2341 (2017) and relevant resolutions among Southeast Asian Member States.
A Flickr album of photos from the workshop is available here.