United Nations Welcome to the United Nations. It's your world.

Philippines, UN sign agreement to counter terrorist travel

Wednesday, July 7, 2021 - 09:00

Permanent Representative Enrique A. Manalo of the Philippine Mission to the United Nations and United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism Under-Secretary-General Vladimir Voronkov sign the Memorandum of Understanding on the United Nations Countering Terrorist Travel Programme. Photo credit: UNOCT

 

07 July 2021, New York – The Government of the Philippines and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the United Nations Countering Terrorist Travel (CT Travel) Programme. The MoU signifies the mutual commitment between the Philippines and the United Nations within the framework of the said Programme to enhance the country’s capabilities to detect and interdict known and suspected terrorists and criminals using passenger data.

Permanent Representative Enrique A. Manalo of the Philippine Mission to the United Nations signed the MoU on behalf of the Philippines, while Under-Secretary-General (USG) Vladimir Voronkov signed on behalf of the UNOCT.

Ambassador Manalo noted that “the establishment of the strategic partnership between the Philippines and the United Nations through this MoU sets the framework for closer cooperation and regular consultations among Philippine and UN authorities, placing the Philippines in a better position to contribute to the global effort to counter terrorist travel.”

USG Voronkov said, “today’s MoU is a symbol of the solid partnership and mutual commitment between the Republic of the Philippines and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism.” He added that “critically, this will assist the Philippines to identify and address ever-evolving terrorist threats within both the air and maritime environments.”

 

Present at the e-signing ceremony are representatives from Philippine agencies, led by National Security Adviser Hermogenes C. Esperon, Jr, United Nations officials, and international partners.

 

National authorities were present at the e-signing ceremony. Led by Secretary Hermogenes C. Esperon, Jr. (National Security Council), the Philippine officials include Undersecretary Adrian Ferdinand S. Sugay (Department of Justice), Undersecretary Bernardo C. Florece, Jr., (Department of Interior and Local Government), Undersecretary Alan A. Silor (Department of Information and Communications Technology), Undersecretary Raul L. Del Rosario (Department of Transportation), Commissioner Jaime H. Morente (Bureau of Immigration), and Atty. Florentino P. Manalastas, Jr. (Anti-Terrorism Council – Program Management Center), among others.

Chargés d'affaires Rafael de Bustamante of the European Union, Chargés d'affaires Richard Sisson of the Australian Embassy, and Mr. Gustavo Gonzales, the UN Resident Coordinator, partners in the Programme, also gave remarks during the event.

The CT Travel Programme aims to assist UN Member States to enhance their detection capabilities against terrorists and serious criminals using travel information, information exchange, and international databases per Security Council Resolutions 2178, 2396, and 2482. It is co-funded by contributions from Australia, the European Union, Japan, Kingdom of the Netherlands, the United States of America, the State of Qatar, and the Republic of India. END