By Dominic Hlordzi
The United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) and the Government of Ghana, represented by the Ministry of National Security, exchanged signatures on a Letter of Agreement (LoA) to strengthen cooperation in preventing and countering terrorism and its nexus with transnational organised crime.
The LoA will accelerate 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 through the use of Advance Passenger Information (API) and Passenger Name Record (PNR).
Director of UNOCT, Mr. Mauro Miedico, and Minister for National Security of Ghana, Mr. Albert Kan-Dapaah, 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.
Mr. Miedico thanked the Government of Ghana for its ongoing cooperation and strong collaboration with UNOCT, highlighting the significance of this partnership in enhancing national and regional security.
Mr. Kan-Dapaah expressed appreciation for the support provided by UNOCT and emphasised Ghana’s commitment to implementing the agreed measures effectively.
The effective processing and analysis of passenger data are essential to the identification, detection, and interception of those who pose 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 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), which calls upon Member States to require that airlines operating in their territories provide API and PNR data to the appropriate national authorities in order 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 in responding to the growing threat posed by the movement of foreign terrorist fighters.
The Programme is a global initiative that aims to build 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.
A flagship global initiative led by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), the Programme follows an ‘’One-UN’’ approach to provide comprehensive, yet tailored assistance to beneficiary Member States, together with the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the United Nations Office of Information and Communication Technology (OICT), the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL), and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
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 lessons learned and good practices in the area of passenger data exchange.
