Doha: The regional workshop on enhancing communication and cooperation between airlines and Passenger Information Units kicked off in Doha, on Monday. Organized by the National Counter-Terrorism Committee at the Ministry of Interior in collaboration with the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) and the United Nations Migration Agency (IOM), the event brought together specialized experts from Arab and regional countries, along with the participation of several entities from Qatar.
According to Qatar News Agency, the opening session of the two-day workshop was attended by officials from the Ministry of Interior and members of the National Counter-Terrorism Committee. The workshop deliberates on the areas of connection between airlines and passenger information units, along with the international experiences related to processing passenger data, and other related topics.
Secretary of the National Counter-Terrorism Committee, Colonel Khalid Ali Al Kaabi, underscored the State of Qatar's commitment to supporting all international initiatives organized by the United Nations and its various offices, particularly those operating in counter-terrorism. He highlighted that the workshop comes as part of UNOCT's Countering Terrorist Travel Programme (CTTP) with the aim of preventing the terrorist movement across borders, detecting potential terrorist activities and preventing them before they occur, through reinforcing cooperation mechanisms and information exchange.
The State of Qatar has been strengthening the legislative and regulatory framework in alignment with the four pillars of the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy based on its adherence to the UN Security Council resolutions, as well as its respect for national laws pertinent to safeguarding individuals' privacy and data, Al Kaabi highlighted.
Al Kaabi noted the State of Qatar's unstinting commitment to backing the United Nations' counter-terrorism efforts through its superb partnership with UNOCT, as well as programs and initiatives the office supports through capacity-building projects, alongside the Global Programme on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism (PCVE). He added that the International Hub on Behavioral Insights to Counter Terrorism was established in Doha in 2020, in collaboration with UNOCT to remain a global platform that advances innovative solutions to counter violent extremism, in addition to supporting an array of programs, such as the Education for Justice (E4J) initiative in collaboration with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), thereby manifesting Qatar's commitment to operationalizing the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact and backing the UN-led efforts to achieve global peace and security.
Al Kaabi indicated that workshop comes as part of a strategic partnership with CTTP, in pursuit of supporting the UN Security Council resolutions with respect to preventing the movement of terrorists and bolstering its counter-terrorism capabilities based on best international practices.
For her part, Chief of IOM mission in Qatar, Ewa Naqvi, expressed her satisfaction with the organization of this crucial workshop in the State of Qatar with the objective of strengthening communication between airlines and passenger information units, highlighting that the event is a result of constructive collaboration between IOM and the National Counter-Terrorism Committee at the Ministry of Interior. She noted that the workshop is an opportunity for sharing expertise among concerned experts from the Middle East and North Africa, alongside international experts, adding that the event highlights the State of Qatar's role in counter-terrorism domain, along with the sophisticated mechanisms being leveraged in this regard.
Chief of UNOCT's Section of Countering Terrorist Travel, Christine Bradley, underscored the importance of this workshop in reinforcing cooperation among the participants.