The United Nations Office of Counterterrorism (UNOCT) and the Ghana Ministry of National Security have signed a Letter of Agreement (LoA) to increase collaboration in preventing and combating terrorism and its links to transnational organized crime.
The LoA will expedite the delivery of technical assistance to Ghana under the United Nations Countering Terrorist Travel (‘CT Travel’) Programme, building national capacities and supporting efforts to address threats associated with the travel of terrorists with Advance Passenger Information (API) and Passenger Name Record (PNR).
A statement issued by the Ministry of National Security said Mr. Mauro Miedico, Director of UNOCT and Mr. Albert Kan-Dapaah, Minister of National Security signed the agreement in an in-person ceremony that took place on the margins of the Forum Celebrating the 5th Anniversary of the UN’s Countering Terrorist Travel Programme in Budapest, Hungary.
It said Mr. Miedico thanked the Government of Ghana for its ongoing cooperation and strong collaboration with UNOCT, highlighting the significance of the partnership in enhancing national and regional security.
The statement said Mr. Kan-Dapaah expressed appreciation for the support provided by UNOCT and emphasised Ghana’s commitment to implementing the agreed measures effectively.
It said the effective processing and analysis of passenger data were essential to the identification, detection, and interception of those who posed a terrorism-related threat, as well as other serious criminals, including those that might be unknown to authorities, before, during and after travel.
The LoA will therefore allow the United Nations to continue supporting Ghana in enhancing its capabilities to detect and intercept terrorists and other criminals in line with Security Council resolutions 2178 (2014), 2396 (2017), and 2482 (2019).
The resolutions call upon Member States to require that airlines operating in their territories provide API and PNR data to the appropriate national authorities to detect the departure from, or attempted entry into or transit through their territories.
The UN Countering Terrorist Travel (‘CT Travel’) Programme was launched in 2019 to support Member States to respond to the growing threat posed by the movement of foreign terrorist fighters.
The Programme is a global initiative that aims at building Member States’ capacities to prevent, detect, investigate, and prosecute terrorist offences and other serious crimes, including their related travel, by collecting and analysing passenger data, both API and PNR, in line with Security Council resolutions, international standards and best practices and human rights principles.
As a flagship global initiative led by UNOCT, it follows a “One-UN” approach to provide comprehensive and tailored assistance to beneficiary Member States, together with the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the United Nations Office of Information and Communication Technology, International Criminal Police Organisation and the International Organisation for Migration.
The Programme is currently working closely with 76 Member States across the globe, 57 of which are beneficiaries of the Programme’s technical assistance, as well as promoting regional cooperation through the sharing of experiences and good practices in passenger data exchange.
GNA