The cover of the updated Compendium, which can be accessed through the link provided in the text below.
While States are increasingly introducing security enhancements to protect critical infrastructure and soft targets, terrorists continue to seek ways to explore their vulnerabilities. To provide critical and up-to-date guidance related to this area of growing importance, the United Nations on 5 June 2023 launched a revised version of its Compendium on good practices on the protection of critical infrastructure against terrorist attacks.
Speaking at the high-level launch event, Ms. Natalia Gherman, Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), stressed that CTED has learned, in the context of its assessments of UN Member States on behalf of the Counter-Terrorism Committee, that identifying and/or defining critical infrastructure and soft targets can be extremely challenging for States.
“We see the added value of the Compendium in increasing awareness of existing practices, including the consideration of new and emerging threats, as well as the importance of engaging with all relevant stakeholders from early stages of planning and designing security measures in this context,” Ms. Gherman said.
CTED has been a key contributor to the Compendium from its conception in 2018, including to the most recent update of the guiding document. To help deliver CTED’s mandate pertaining to this field, the Executive Directorate has also been engaged in a range of other activities, including briefings to the Counter-Terrorism Committee, the facilitation of technical assistance, awareness-raising efforts about the Compendium in Africa and Southeast Asia, partnering with regional organizations, and leading capacity consultations with Indonesia, Kenya, Tajikistan, Togo, and Tunisia within the framework of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (OCT) Global Programme on countering terrorist threats against vulnerable targets.
“It is important that States implement comprehensive approaches to critical infrastructure and ‘soft’ target protection, including in interrelation to other relevant Security Council resolutions and by identifying key stakeholders, existing practices, including at regional level, and exercising adaptation as the threat evolves,” underlined Jean-Philippe Morange, Senior Legal Officer and Coordinator of the Law Enforcement and Border Management Cluster in CTED, who also gave a presentation during the event.
The updated Compendium can be accessed here.