Programme Launch Event

I established the Office of Counter-Terrorism in 2017 for several fundamental reasons: To help strengthen international counter-terrorism cooperation; To expand multilateral networks for sharing information to detect, identify, disrupt and prosecute terrorists; And to ensure that Member States most affected by terrorism have the capacity to tackle this evolving threat.

António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations | 07 May 2019

The launch at UN Headquarters in New York, of the United Nations Countering Terrorist Travel ('CT Travel') Programme, comes in the wake of the territorial defeat of the Iraq and Syria-based ISIL terrorist group. Thousands of foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) are attempting to return home or relocate to safe havens or conflict zones, representing a major threat to international peace and security.

The Programme, described by UNOCT as a “flagship initiative,” is designed to help countries to enhance the detection of FTFs and serious crimes, through the collection, identification, and analysis of their passenger data.

Members of terrorist groups and other transnational organized crime groups continue to take advantage of porous detection capacity across the globe. The many returning and relocating foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) are a serious threat to global security. Air travel has globally increased connectivity and is projected to double over the next 20 years. Also, other modes of transport such as maritime and rail increase mobility of all. Processing passenger data therefore is essential to the identification, detection and interception of FTFs and other serious crimes, including those that are otherwise unknown to authorities, both before, during and after travel.

In its resolution 2178 (2014), the Security Council called upon Member States to require airlines operating in their territories to provide advance passenger information (API) to appropriate national authorities to detect the departure from, attempted travel to, entry into or transit through their territories of FTFs. In resolution 2396 (2017), the Security Council built on resolution 2178 (2014) by creating new international obligations. In addition to reaffirming its requirements on API, the Security Council called on Member States to ‘develop the capability to collect, process and analyze, in furtherance of ICAO standards and recommended practices, passenger name record (PNR) data and to ensure PNR data is used by and shared with all their competent national authorities, with full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.’ In addition, enhanced use of lists with known criminals and terrorists is of the highest importance.

In its recent biennial review of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (A/RES/72/284), the General Assembly reiterated its concern at the increasing flow of international recruits to terrorist organizations, including FTFs, and the threat that this poses to all Member States. It further encouraged Member States to address this threat ‘by enhancing their cooperation and developing relevant measures to prevent and tackle this phenomenon, including information-sharing, border management to detect travel, including through the implementation of obligations on the use of advance passenger information, passenger name record and biometric data, with full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.’