ICAO
By Adekunle Williams and Solomon Asowata
Lagos, May 2, 2018 (NAN) The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on Wednesday took an important step to bolster global efforts targeting international terrorism and transnational crime.
ICAO made the announcement in a statement posted on its website, according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
The statement said ICAO Secretary General, Dr Fang Liu, and the Executive Director, UNODC, Mr Yury Fedotov, met in London to sign a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Liu said the MoU would now greatly enhance their cooperation and information sharing on security priorities relating to border control, law enforcement, and criminal justice.
“One of the main priorities to be achieved through this MoU is to improve the scope and effectiveness of current responses safeguarding aviation against terrorism and acts of unlawful interference, illicit trafficking, and other security threats.
“To do so, it’s essential that ICAO and the UNODC promote a more widespread culture of collective responsibility and effective, collaborative responses to these types of threats.
“At the same time, both organisations should continue to simplify and streamline travel clearances for our network’s vast majority of legitimate passengers,” she emphasised.
On his part, Fedotov said the partnership could help strengthen the capacities of law enforcement agencies working at airports in source, transit and destination countries, to detect and intercept drugs, illicit goods and criminals.
He said: “This is vital as traffickers and high-risk passengers seek to exploit new transportation modes for criminal activities.
“Ever-increasing passenger numbers and growing connectivity present new challenges in countering the shipment of drugs and other illegal goods, whether on passengers, in luggage, through air cargo, by private aircraft or by parcel post and express.’’
According to him, the new ICAO-UNODC MoU will build upon past cooperation initiatives between the two UN agencies, which have been working very closely and successfully together under the aegis of the UN Counter Terrorism Committee.
“The new agreement is expected to bolster the 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 their shared priorities towards more sustainable travel facilitation solutions, including travel document security, citizen identity management, and the international standardisation of passenger data exchange,’’ Fedotov added. (NAN)
WAC/ASO/PIO/PIO
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(Edited by Idonije Obakhedo)