The Philippines and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) signed a memorandum of understanding signifying their partnership under the United Nations Countering Terrorist Travel (CT Travel) Program.
The agreement will allow the United Nations to assist the country in enhancing its capabilities to detect the travel of terrorists and serious criminals by collecting and analyzing passenger data, in compliance with relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, international standards and human rights principles.
Through an “All-of-UN” partnership with the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the UN Office of Information and Communications Technology (OICT), and the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), the UNOCT-led program provides comprehensive, yet tailored assistance to beneficiary member-states.
The Philippines is one of 42 beneficiary member-states that have joined the CT Travel Program since its launch in May 2019.
The signing of the agreement took place during a virtual ceremony between the Under-Secretary-General of UNOCT, Vladimir Voronkov, and the Permanent Representative of the Republic of the Philippines to the United Nations, Ambassador Enrique Austria Manalo. The ceremony was also attended by representatives from Australia and the European Union.
“Today’s memorandum of understanding is a symbol of the solid partnership and mutual commitment between the Republic of the Philippines and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism for the implementation of the Countering Terrorist Travel Program in the Philippines. It will help enhance the capabilities of the Philippines to detect and interdict known and suspected terrorists using passenger data, in accordance with Security Council resolutions 2396 and 2482, international standards, and human rights principles,” Voronkov said.
“Critically, this will allow the United Nations to assist the Philippines to identify and address evolving terrorist and criminal threats within both the air and maritime environments,” Voronkov added.
“With the establishment of this strategic partnership between the United Nations and the Philippines through this Memorandum of Understanding, setting the framework for closer cooperation and regular consultations among Philippine authorities and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism, and the support of our key partners, the Philippines will be in a better position to implement its roadmap to build its detection capacities and to contribute to the global effort to counter terrorist travel,” Manalo said.
UN Philippines Resident Coordinator Gustavo Gonzalez said: “Through applying a comprehensive approach, the Countering Terrorist Travel Program has the potential to prevent acts of terrorism. This, in itself, is an important human rights objective.”
“The program emphasizes that all counter-terrorism measures must comply with obligations under international law, in particular international human rights law, international humanitarian law and international refugee law,” Gonzalez said.
As a beneficiary of the CT Travel Program, the Philippines is being supported across four key pillars of work, namely:
– The development of necessary legislative frameworks regulating the collection, transmission, use, retention and sharing of passenger data, in compliance with internationally recognized standards and human rights principles;
– The institutional set-up and development of operational capacity of the country’s detection center, also known as a Passenger Information Unit;
– Engagement and cooperation with the transport industry to ensure technical connectivity; and
– Technical support, including the licensing and deployment of the United Nations’ specialized ‘goTravel’ software system.
