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  1. Launch of new Eastern African Regional Working Group to foster cooperation on the detection of terrorists and other serious criminals using passenger data

Launch of new Eastern African Regional Working Group to foster cooperation on the detection of terrorists and other serious criminals using passenger data

From 2 - 4 April 2025, national representatives from across East Africa gathered for the launch of the Regional Working Group on Advance Passenger Information (API) and Passenger Name Record (PNR) Data (EA RWG) in Nairobi, Kenya. The establishment of this new Regional Working Group aimed to support Member States across the region to respond to fast-evolving terrorism-related threats. It provided a platform for peer-to-peer discussions on how passenger data systems are essential tools for detecting and preventing the travel of terrorists while identifying potential nexus with transnational organized crime.

Representatives from nine countries in East Africa, including Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda, came together to exchange on good practices, current challenges, new and emerging threats, and opportunities to mitigate and respond to terrorism across the region. During the discussions, participants formulated priorities and focus areas for the new EA RWG, which will accelerate both national efforts to implement effective passenger data systems and strengthen the region¡¯s collective security in the fight against terrorism.

¡°The establishment of this Working Group is a vital step toward a more secure and connected region. The IOM, as the Secretariat, is proud to work alongside Member States to strengthen national capacities and foster cooperation in line with our vision of humane, rights-based migration governance.¡±

The United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) partnered to support East African Member States¡¯ counter-terrorism efforts with the establishment of a new working group for the region. 

This new network was launched under the framework of the United Nations Countering Terrorist Travel (CT Travel) Programme, led by UNOCT, and the IOM project on ¡°Supporting the Government of Kenya in implementation of API/PNR systems,¡± which was supported by Global Affairs Canada. 

With the launch of this new platform, East Africa joins a growing list of regional networks ¨C or Informal Working Groups (IWGs) ¨C that have already been established around the world, including the European Union, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, West and Central Africa, Southern Africa, and Southeast Asia. 

Designed in accordance with international standards and recommended practices and human rights norms and standards, each regional IWG serves as a platform for peer-to-peer exchanges for law enforcement authorities from national targeting centers or passenger information units, becoming a vital tool in the global fight against terrorism and serious organized crime. 

Experts from the European, Southern Africa and West and Central Africa IWGs participated in the launch of the EA RWG in Nairobi, contributing expertise, good practices, and lessons learned on the management of the working groups dedicated to API/PNR. They joined other international experts from the CT Travel Programme, including representatives from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), INTERPOL, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

More information on the United Nations Countering Terrorist Travel Programme can be found here.