24th Counter-Terrorism Task Force Meeting
Big Sky, Montana, United States
May 11-12, 2011
Executive Summary
The 24th meeting of the APEC Counter-Terrorism Task Force (CTTF) was held in Big Sky, Montana, United States, on May 11-12, 2011.
CTTF-2 featured policy dialogues on border security and counter-terrorist financing. The dialogue on border security and management included participation by representatives of the APEC Subcommittee on Customs Procedures (SCCP), the APEC Business Mobility Group (BMG), and the UN Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED). The presentations and subsequent discussion highlighted the benefits of risk management tools, the importance of information sharing and cross-border coordination, the usefulness of evaluating the impact of APEC’s capacity building work, and the need for a better understanding of ‘on-the-ground’ implementation of capacity building initiatives.
The second dialogue on counter-terrorist financing featured presentations from CTED, the United States and Australia. Discussion focused on the emerging threat of trade-based money laundering and mechanisms for addressing gaps in anti-money laundering (AML) and counter-terrorist financing (CTF), including the need for capacity building projects to address specific needs of APEC member economies, and the importance of finding a balance between traditional workshops with other approaches such as mentoring and pilot projects, and more focused, longer-term capacity building initiatives.
These two sessions were intended in part to inform the development of the Consolidated APEC Strategy on Counter-terrorism and Secure-Trade. CTTF members discussed a draft framework for the Strategy and agreed to provide the Chair with input by June 15. The first draft of the Strategy, based on input received on the draft framework, will be circulated to CTTF members in July.
CTTF members also reviewed the implementation of the CTTF workplan, discussing the status and outcomes of completed and planned projects. These included a series of Australian-led counter-terrorist financing capacity building workshops; the Korean-led 3rd APEC Seminar on the Protection of Cyberspace planned for September 7-8; the U.S.-led Secure Trade in the APEC Region (STAR) conference also planned for September; the U.S. self-funded workshop on the misuse of Non-Profit Organizations (NPO); a regional food defense workshop slated for Fall 2011; and a U.S.-led aviation security canine screening workshop planned for June 9-10 in Canberra, Australia. In addition, CTTF members endorsed the U.S.-proposed food defense follow-on project for the Philippines and Vietnam, and Canada’s proposal for a major event security workshop in September.
The Chair requested that APEC members submit their completed Counterterrorism Action Plans (CTAPs) to the Secretariat prior to CTTF-3 in September.
The next CTTF meeting will be held in San Francisco, California, USA, in September 2011.
Summary Report
The 24th meeting of the APEC Counter-Terrorism Task Force (CTTF) was held in Big Sky, Montana, United States, on May 11-12, 2011. Over 43 participants from 17 member economies attended, in addition to chairs from other APEC sub-fora and a representative from CTED.[1] The meeting was chaired by CTTF Chair Anne Witkowsky, of the United States.
OPENING REMARKS AND ADMINISTRATIVE BUSINESS
The Chair opened the meeting by welcoming the Russian CTTF vice-chair and APEC members to the second CTTF meeting of her chairmanship. The Chair remarked that the international community is at a critical juncture in its collective counterterrorism efforts. While questions remain about the long-term impact of Usama bin Laden’s death, terrorist groups continue to plot attacks to harm innocent lives and livelihoods in the APEC region. The Chair suggested that APEC members take this opportunity to bolster partnerships, strengthen networks and capabilities, and protect economic systems against attack, disruption, and misuse. She also noted that APEC has a unique role in this collective effort to fight terrorism and secure trade, and that the CTTF is well placed to work at the nexus between economic vitality and security. In particular, the CTTF’s efforts to coordinate the consolidated APEC Strategy on Counter-terrorism and Secure Trade will build on APEC’s previous and current work in these areas and help ensure that we are bringing maximum value to our work in the future.
The APEC Secretariat reviewed work that the CTTF had undertaken intersessionally since its last meeting in Washington, D.C. in March 2011, as well as ongoing tasks from the previous meeting. This included the preparation of an activity matrix for CTTF and other relevant subfora projects dating back to 2002; the approval of the 2011 CTAP template, the approval of the 2011 CTTF workplan; and the approval of the draft summary report for CTTF-1. The proposals for STAR VIII, a U.S. self-funded NPO workshop and Korea’s cyber seminar also received intersessional approval.
dIALOGUE ON BORDER SECURITY and MANAGEMENT
The dialogue featured presentations by APEC Subcommittee on Customs Procedures (SCCP) Chair Brendan O’Hearn, APEC Business Mobility Group (BMG) Acting Convener Jim Williams, and Hassan Baage from the UN Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED). Discussion focused on trends and challenges in border management and helped to identify potential areas of cooperation across APEC and between APEC and other multilateral organizations.
Key themes that were discussed include the use of risk management; the importance of information sharing; interagency and cross-border coordination; the usefulness of evaluating the impact of APEC’s capacity building work; and the need for a better understanding of on-the-ground implementation of border management strategies.
Mr. Baage outlined CTED’s role in international border security and management, which includes reviewing UN Member State implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1373. This ongoing review helps facilitate technical assistance and has revealed that effective border management requires risk assessment and related mitigation measures, which include a full range of systems, procedures, and technical capabilities that operate at border crossings. According to CTED, key international border vulnerabilities remain. Regarding the movement of people, Mr. Baage highlighted the need for more robust traveler identity verification. These efforts include broadening the use of machine-readable travel documents, ensuring that those documents and their manufacturing processes are secure, better leveraging information collected from advance passenger information systems, and sharing information with national and international criminal databases for screening purposes. While member states have made progress on reducing vulnerabilities in the movement of cargo, with 164 states indicating their intention to implement the WCO SAFE Framework of Standards, work remains on promoting the use of pre-arrival information, implementing risk assessment systems, and fostering partnerships between customs officials and private sector stakeholders. Mr. Baage emphasized that border security can be improved through stronger interagency coordination, improved information exchange at and across borders, the use of common information technology systems, and the conduct of more efficient risk management. Mr. Baage closed by adding that evaluations on the impact of capacity building or training in general would be beneficial to ensure that policy measures are implemented appropriately.
Mr. Williams overviewed BMG’s development of the APEC Business Travel Card and an ‘APEC best practice border capabilities model.’ The model, intended to help economies share and learn best practices in border security and management, will be developed in two stages. The first will feature the traveler pathway, covering the processes travelers go through to move from one place to another (e.g., booking tickets, checking in, and the processes involved with clearing customs when arriving at the next economy). The second will identify ways of ensuring economies can meet their objectives along the pathway, such as verifying identities or the validity of travel documents. Work on the model has demonstrated a need for clear and unified terminology in the field, and highlighted the fact that for a single problem, there may be several equally valid interventions.
Mr. O’Hearn reported on SCCP’s work related to Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) programs, trade resumption, and pharmaceuticals in the express air environment. The SCCP has been studying these issues through the lens of risk management, trade resilience, and global supply chain security. One of the SCCP’s risk management-related goals is enabling customs officials to separate trusted traders from the general pool of traders, thereby reducing the size of the group requiring scrutiny by those officials. The purpose of trade resilience is to facilitate the resumption of trade after a disruptive event. SCCP is working on an AEO Action Plan to allow for the mutual recognition of such programs across the APEC region. As part of the first phase, the working group is preparing a compendium of AEO programs. The second phase will cover best practices, and the third phase will involve capacity building. More generally, the SCCP continues to seek opportunities for cross-fora cooperation in APEC and recommends developing mechanisms for intersessional cooperation with the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC).
Russia delivered remarks on border security issues it has studied in the context of its customs union with Belarus and Kazakhstan. Russia noted that addressing issues such as illegal migration and smuggling require a new level of cooperation between border authorities of customs union members. Approaches for dealing with these issues range from standardization of border-related legislation to unified border management. Russia also recommended inviting other organizations to future APEC meetings such as ICAO, WCO and regional organizations like ASEAN and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization to share their efforts on border security.
Singapore noted that domestically, it has enacted the UN Act, a legislation that helps to fast track the implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions. In addition, it is also an active participant in the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) and conducts comprehensive checks on cargo and goods. As an open economy that welcomed businessmen and tourists alike, Singapore would also be interested in learning from other economies about procedures and technologies that would enable enhanced border security while not unduly hampering the flow of people and goods.
Canada inquired about the role CTTF could play in identifying capacity building areas in border security. Mr. O’Hearn responded that APEC Senior Officials and CTTF can build the political will necessary to drive engagement in relevant activities such as developing a border capabilities model. Mr. Williams noted that CTTF could enhance the BMG’s efforts by identifying which risks are the greatest. The United States suggested that CTTF could facilitate discussions between stakeholder groups, such as public and private sector representatives, which is one of the goals of the upcoming STAR conference, and help identify how APEC is addressing the key trade themes including security, efficiency, and resilience.
The Chair noted that APEC-funded projects have an evaluation mechanism in place which can help identify the impact of projects. However, CTTF could usefully discuss this issue further given the discussion outlining the need to better understand the effectiveness of border security and management capabilities and the implementation “on the ground” in member economies.
Implementation of leaders’ and ministers’ statements
The Chair reported that two additional ministerial commitments were added to the Counter-Terrorism Action Plan (CTAP) template. The template’s question on capacity building was also revised to clearly identify the CTAP point of contact information and to distinguish between the capacity building capabilities and capacity building requirements of each member economy. The Chair requested that APEC members submit their completed CTAPs to the Secretariat prior to CTTF-3 in September. The Philippines and Thailand stated their economies are working to complete the CTAP template.
New Zealand reported that it held a counterterrorism exercise on May 3-4 related to the Rugby World Cup to test individual and collective responses to terrorist events. New Zealand has also funded a UNODC project to strengthen counterterrorism legal frameworks in the Pacific region. This project is entering its final phase and will be completed this year. New Zealand added that even though Osama bin Laden’s death is a significant moral blow to al Qaeda, his death does not represent an end to the threat of terrorism, and New Zealand will continue to play a role in international counterterrorism efforts.
Vietnam stated that it had issued a decree on civil aviation security; adopted a national plan on anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing; and ratified the ASEAN Counterterrorism Convention.
Chinese Taipei reported that it has made efforts in several counterterrorism-related fields by adopting a community regime for export of dual-use items, deploying hazmat scanners to several ports, and working to develop a 24/7 Interpol-connected communication system on lost and stolen travel documents.
Indonesia reported that it has established a national agency for counterterrorism. The agency’s roles include formulating policy on counterterrorism and coordinating government implementation of CT policy.
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CTTF WORK PLAN
Secure Trade in the APEC Region
The United States provided an update on the implementation of the 8th Secure Trade in the APEC Region (STAR VIII) conference. The United States hopes to structure the conference to promote discussion and engagement with private sector representatives. Canada noted the importance of achieving concrete results and building linkages between the public and private sector. Australia noted the importance of assigning qualified facilitators for the breakout sessions. Chile recommended evaluating past STAR efforts to ensure that APEC will effectively follow through on implementing ideas from past STAR discussions.
Counter-Terrorist Financing
Australia discussed the implementation of a self-funded joint CTTF and Anti-Corruption Task Force project, "Combating Corruption and Anti-Money Laundering," which was endorsed intersessionally. As part of this effort, Australia conducted the first in-country workshop in Thailand in March 2011. An in-country workshop in the Philippines will be held May 17-19, 2011, after which Australia will develop the next round of in-country workshops.
The United States updated members on the implementation of its self-funded workshop on the misuse of Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs) for terrorist financing, which was endorsed intersessionally and is planned tentatively this fall in Southeast Asia. The United States will provide further updates to members intersessionally as more details become available.
Russia recommended that this issue be further discussed in CTTF and expressed support for the U.S. workshop, adding that the project aligns well with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Special Recommendation VIII.
Transportation Security
The United States provided an informational presentation on a concept for a joint APEC Transportation Working Group (TPTWG) /CTTF/International Working Group on Land Transport Security (IWGLTS) Bus Anti-Terrorism Workshop, which would be hosted in the Philippines in 2012. The proposal will be reviewed by the Transportation Working Group (TPTWG) at its June meeting in Australia and would be presented to CTTF for intersessional endorsement thereafter. The workshop is designed to share best-practices on bus security and facilitate capacity building between economies, and will include private sector and local government representatives.
Russia, Canada, and Korea expressed support for the initiative and a broad focus on all modes of land transportation. The Philippines recommended focusing on practical exercises and including the Emergency Preparedness Working Group.
The United States updated members on the implementation of the joint TPTWG -CTTF Aviation Security Canine Screening Workshop, to be held June 9-10 in Canberra, Australia. Singapore is co-sponsoring the workshop. The United States will report on its outcomes at CTTF-3.
Food Defense
The United States updated members on the implementation of the Food Defense Pilot Projects in the Philippines and Vietnam earlier this year. The United States also noted that the food defense regional workshop is planned to be held in Southeast Asia in the autumn of 2011. The United States will circulate additional details as they become available. Vietnam and the Philippines voiced their support for the activities, noting the beneficial awareness-raising and lessons-learned sharing fostered by the pilot projects. Additionally, a proposal for follow-on capacity building training for the Philippines and Vietnam was endorsed by the CTTF.
Major Event Security