Security Council - Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) - aviation

[Press release from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)] ICAO TRIP Seminar strengthens border control efforts in the Caribbean

BMUSONI — Thu, 02 Feb 2017 10:18:00 +0000

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ICAO Council President Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu at the UN agency’s Traveller Identification Programme (TRIP) Seminar in Antigua and Barbuda.

(Montréal, 02 February 2017) Representatives of 25 countries gathered in Antigua and Barbuda this week for the latest ICAO Traveller Identification Programme (TRIP) Strategy Seminar.

Hosted by the Ministry of Public Utilities, Civil Aviation and Transportation of Antigua and Barbuda, the event’s primary goal was to improve identity management and travel document security systems and processes.

ICAO Council President Dr. Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu delivered the opening address to the 180 government and industry seminar participants in attendance, acknowledging that global implementation of ICAO’s related Security and Facilitation provisions must be augmented.

“The ICAO TRIP strategy is designed to assist States in enhancing the fight against terrorism, reducing cross-border crime, and combating various threats to international civil aviation,” he highlighted. “It supports efforts relating to the implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions 2178 and 2309, as well as State capacities relating to the establishment, protection, and management of citizen identity to permit more dependably secure travel document production and border control systems.”

With on-site support from ICAO technical experts, delegates to the Antigua and Barbuda TRIP Seminar learned to improve their identification management systems by establishing robust evidence of identity and citizenship processes. These in turn help to strengthen passport issuance processes in compliance with ICAO’s related standards and specifications.

Participants also gained new insights into how to improve the throughput of their border control systems by increasing the number of Automated Border Control (ABC) gates, and learned how ePassport features in conjunction with Advanced Passenger Information (API) can greatly aid in combating terrorism and trans-border crime.

President Aliu also drew attention to the benefits of ICAO Public Key Directory (PKD) membership in his address, emphasizing that it is essential if States wish to capitalize on the full security and facilitation benefits that ePassports are meant to deliver. PKD membership enables States to fully benefit from ePassport chip-based security features, and are key to hindering the movements of international terrorists.

“Going forward, more intensified advocacy efforts are needed to underscore the role of the PKD as a fundamental contributor to effective border integrity,” he stressed.

The ICAO Seminar was arranged to be conducted back-to-back with an ICAO TRIP Workshop on Border Control Management in the Caribbean Region, where officials from 13 States will be on hand. Supported by the Government of Canada, the Workshop will be conducted in partnership with the United Nations’ Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), and with the collaboration of additional international organizations.

“These cooperative efforts are fully in-line with ICAO’s No Country Left Behind objectives,” President Aliu highlighted, referencing ICAO’s ongoing global effort to provide comprehensive assistance and capacity-building to States in aid of the more effective implementation of the UN agency’s global Standards and policies.

Mr. Jean-Paul Laborde, UN CTED Assistant Secretary-General and Executive Director, added that the Executive Directorate

“fully supports the ICAO TRIP Strategy and its aim to develop a holistic and systematic model for traveller-identification management. This ensures that all States have the capacity to verify the identity of individuals prior to the issuance of secure travel documents, compliant with international standards.”

Resources for Editors

ICAO Security and Facilitation programmes and policies
The ICAO Public Key Directory (PKD)
ICAO API Guidelines
ICAO TRIP Seminar on machine readable travel documents and traveller identification management
ICAO’s and Aviation’s Contributions to the UN SDGs

About ICAO

A specialized agency of the United Nations, ICAO was created in 1944 to promote the safe and orderly development of international civil aviation throughout the world. It sets standards and regulations necessary for aviation safety, security, efficiency, capacity and environmental protection, amongst many other priorities. The Organization serves as the forum for cooperation in all fields of civil aviation among its 191 Member States.

Additional information can be found here.

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Security Council adopts resolution on countering terrorist threats to civil aviation

BMUSONI — Thu, 22 Sep 2016 09:27:00 +0000

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On 22 September 2016, the United Nations Security Council for the first time in its history adopted a resolution focusing on the threat posed by terrorism to civil aviation. Resolution 2309, adopted unanimously by the Council’s 15 members at the level of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, calls on all States to work within the UN International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to ensure that its international security standards are reviewed and adapted to effectively address the threat stemming from terrorists targeting civil aviation.

Expressing particular concern that terrorist groups are actively seeking ways to defeat or circumvent aviation security, the Council also calls on States to strengthen and promote the effective application of ICAO standards and recommended practices, and to assist the organization in continuing to enhance audit, capacity development, and training programmes to support the implementation of these standards and practices.

The Council encouraged continued cooperation between ICAO and the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) on identifying gaps and vulnerabilities relevant to aviation security.

More information can be found here.

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ICAO Secretary-General briefs Counter-Terrorism Committee

BMUSONI — Tue, 28 Jun 2016 07:28:00 +0000

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The Secretary-General of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Dr. Fang Liu, on 23 June 2016 briefed the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) on ICAO’s policies, programmes, and priorities in the field of security and counter-terrorism. Civil aviation remains a target for terrorist attacks and can be exploited by terrorists, including foreign terrorist fighters (FTF), for their travels.

Dr. Liu explained that the attacks at Brussels Airport on 22 March 2016, and the events which followed, were a tragic reminder of the enormous challenges faced in securing public areas; the inseparability of aviation security and national security; the economic and social consequences of terrorism; and the historic resilience of civil aviation.

She also stressed that effective aviation security requires strong political commitment at the State level to decide policies, adequately fund programmes, set targets, and achieve results. And there is need for increasing the level and sources of assistance support.

ICAO’s mandate in the areas of preventing unlawful interference with civil aviation and facilitation of the clearance of aircrafts, people, and goods across international air borders intersects with the mandate of the Committee and its Executive Directorate (CTED) in assessing, facilitating and promoting implementation by UN Member States of Security Council resolutions 1373 and 2178.Concrete examples for cross-fertilization of the mandates and activities of ICAO and the CTC/CTED include: (i) cooperation in assisting Member States in the effective implementation of the relevant international regulatory frameworks, including through (facilitation of) technical assistance and capacity building where needed; (ii) ensuring the issuance of legitimate – and machine-readable – travel documents, and promoting measures to prevent counterfeiting, forgery of fraudulent use of travel documents to prevent the movement of terrorists and FTFs, including through the promotion of ICAO’s Public Key Directory (PKD) enabling States to access and validate data stored on ePassports; (iii) rapidly increasing the numbers of Member States requiring airlines to implement advance passenger information (API) systems as required by resolution 2178 and in view of API becoming an international Standard in Annex 9 to the Chicago Convention, including through partnering, together with the UN Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT), other entities of the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF), and other international and regional organizations, in a series of regional workshops on raising awareness and capacity building to enhance API implementation.

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CTC Chair and CTED Executive Director meet with new ICAO Secretary-General

BMUSONI — Tue, 29 Sep 2015 18:11:00 +0000

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Meeting between new ICAO Secretary-General and CTC Chair and Executive Director of CTED.

The newly appointed Secretary-General of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), Dr. Fang Liu, on 24 September 2015 met with the Chair of the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) and the Executive Director of its Executive Directorate (CTED) in New York.

Chair of CTC H.E. Raimonda Murmokaité congratulated the Secretary-General on her appointment, and praised the enhanced level of cooperation between ICAO and the Committee. The Chair noted challenges associated with assisting States that do not have the capacity or resources to put in place mechanisms to stem the flow of terrorists and suspected foreign terrorist fighters who travel by air. Of particular concern to the Chair was the issue of States which have the capacity but are not fully implementing the instruments and tools available to prevent this type of travel.

From left to right: CTC Chair, Executive Director of CTED, and the Secretary-General of ICAO.

The Secretary-General expressed her appreciation for the high level of cooperation already established between ICAO and the Committee and CTED. She indicated a strong desire to work closely with CTC and CTED to help African Union States in particular in enhancing their human and physical infrastructure capacity on aviation security, including in the areas of training, and introduction of an e-passport regime. Dr. Liu also conveyed her wish to receive CTC and CTED support in getting more States to adopt the so-called Public Key Directory (PKD) format.

Executive Director of CTED Jean-Paul Laborde underlined his concern about the low number of States which have or are currently implementing so-called advance passenger information – or API – systems. He expressed his confidence in ICAO leading in bringing forward standardization to address the numerous security-related concerned associated with aviation. Like the Chair, the Executive Director also conveyed his wish that ICAO and CTED better coordinate the systematic exchange of information and assessments, including through the Secretary-General briefing the Committee and the CTC Chair and CTED Executive Director attending ICAO high-level events in the near future.

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