For decades, civil aviation has been a high profile and attractive target for global terrorism. Despite considerable security enhancements across all civil aviation sectors, terrorists continue to seek ways to exploit real or perceived vulnerabilities by adapting and developing novel modus operandi in hope of circumventing protective measures. At the same time, the discussion on protecting national critical infrastructure against terrorist attacks has gained momentum among UN Member States, within the broader UN system, and in other International Organizations – most recently with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2341 (2017). In light of these broader discussions on the protection of critical national infrastructure against terrorist attacks, the civil aviation sector represents a key stakeholder. This is even more essential as States define what is critical in their national context therefore, critical infrastructure in many cases includes civil aviation facilities such as airport terminals, fuel installations, air navigation facilities, air traffic control towers, airplanes, etc. It is therefore an opportune time to explore the ways in which the civil aviation sector participates in this dialogue, and to identify opportunities for progress moving forward. The objectives of this half-day event are:
To raise awareness among aviation sector stakeholders of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2341 (2017) on protection of critical infrastructure against terrorist attacks;
To better understand the needs, challenges and opportunities for civil aviation stakeholders in implementing measures and strategies which address the terrorist threat, including the threat posed by Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS-drones);
To familiarize participants with the technical assistance and capacity building support offered by States and International Organizations; and
To enhance awareness on the "The Protection of Critical Infrastructure Against Terrorist Attacks: Compendium of Good Practices", a joint initiative of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate and INTERPOL.
This workshop is organized by ICAO, INTERPOL and UNOCT within the framework of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Global Coordination Compact Working Group on Emerging Threats and Critical Infrastructure Protection.
