May 18, 2018

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (UNCTED) have strengthened cooperation to address international terrorist threats.

ICAO made the announcement in a statement posted on its website, dated May 17.

The statement said ICAO Secretary General, Dr Fang Liu, and the Executive Director, UNCTED, Ms Michèle Coninsx, met at the ICAO Headquarters in Montreal, Canada to sign a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

Liu said the new agreement would now greatly strengthen and enhance their agencies’ cooperation and information sharing relating to border controls, aviation security and counter-terrorism.

According to her, it will support key United Nations Security Council resolutions regarding international priorities for aligned counter-terrorism response.

She said :“This new agreement directly supports UN Security Council resolution 2309 and aligns with the ICAO Global Aviation Security Plan (GASeP).

“It enables us to cooperate to mobilise political will, to leverage expertise, optimise resources and maximise deliverables to Member States.

“Together, we will pursue to strengthen Member States’ capacity and promote a more widespread culture of collective responsibility and effective, collaborative responses to international terrorist threats.”

Liu noted that the agreement would continue to simplify and streamline travel clearances for the agencies network’s vast majority of legitimate low risk passengers.

“This new agreement will greatly assist our agencies’ efforts to respond in a coordinated way to new and emerging challenges, such as evolving security requirements and increased international mobility.

“It also recognises our shared emphasis on prioritising more sustainable travel facilitation solutions, including travel document security, citizen identity management, and the international standardisation of passenger data exchange,” she said.

On her part, Coninsx explained that cooperation with ICAO was vital to the work of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (UNCTC) and UNCTED.

According to her, the new agreement not only supports UN Security Council Resolution 2309, but also efficiently addresses others including UNSC resolutions 2341, 2395 and 2396.

She said :”CTC visits are becoming more complex and, in some cases, more focused on certain thematic areas. As a result, they increasingly require specialised expertise, including in the area of civil aviation.

“UNCTED will therefore continue to rely on ICAO’s support in conducting assessment visits on the Committee’s behalf.

“The CTC and CTED will continue to support the work of ICAO in coherence with the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (OCT) and UN Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact.”

Coninsx said they would promote the implementation of its Standards and Recommended Practices, whether in the Security Council or in their interaction with regional and sub-regional organisations and Member States.

She added that the new ICAO-UNCTED agreement would be followed by a joint action plan and build upon past cooperation initiatives between the two UN entities.