Apia – Samoa will benefit from the United Nations Countering Terrorist Travel (CT Travel) Programme, a flagship global initiative that assists beneficiary Member States in building their capabilities to detect and counter-terrorists and serious crimes by using Advance Passenger Information (API) and Passenger Name Record (PNR) data to improve the use of international databases with known and suspected terrorists and criminals. 

The CT Travel Programme will support Samoa to collect and analyze API and PNR data to improve the use of international databases, such as INTERPOL databases, with data relating to known and suspected terrorists and criminals, and enhance information exchange,  in accordance with Security Council resolutions 2178 (2014), 2396 (2017), and 2482 (2019), international standards and recommended practices and human rights principles. 

A team of United Nations experts were in Samoa from 25-27 July, to conduct the national consultation on Advance Passenger Information (API) and Passenger Name Record (PNR), as the first step of the Programme.

During the national consultation, Mr. Agafili Tomaimano Shem Leo, Chief Executive Officer, Samoa Ministry of Prime Minister and Cabinet noted that “while there is no recent history of terrorism in Samoa, we understand that circumstance should not allow us to become complacent, rather we need to continue to strengthen our border measures as many people, including suspected terrorists are looking to take advantage of our small islands in the Pacific, and we are aware of the risks of becoming a gateway and throughfares for terrorist organizations and groups.”

The CT Travel Programme is led by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), in an “All-of-UN” partnership with UN Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED), UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), UN Office of Information and Communication Technology (OICT), the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Through funding from the IOM Development Fund (IDF), the IOM has a complementary project for Samoa to localize the CT Travel Programme, and support the strengthening of passenger data exchange systems.

Mr. Motaz Al-Rababah, the CTED’s Programme Management Officer, for the CT Travel Programme,  said, “This is just the initial step in a long-term partnership between the partners of the Countering Terrorist Travel Programme and the Government of Samoa as we work collaboratively to establish and operationalize an effective API - PNR system.” Al-Rababah also thanked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Samoa for its strong support to date, and commended IOM’s support to hold the consultation.

Notably, the project complements the existing IOM project in Samoa funded by Government of Japan to Strengthen Border Control and Response to Infectious Diseases in Pacific Island Countries.

See also the IOM Pacific Strategy 2022 - 2026 and this video for more information.

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For more information, please contact Imogen Nicholls at IOM Australia Country Office with Coordinating Functions for the Pacific at inicholls@iom.int

CT Travel Programme, Antoine Andary, Associate Public Information and Communications Officer, CT Travel Programme, United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) at antoine.andary@un.org