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You Are Here: Home > APEC Groups > SOM Steering Committee on Economic and Technical Cooperation > SOM Special Task Groups > Counter Terrorism Task Force
 
 
Counter Terrorism  

In October 2001, APEC Leaders in Shanghai issued a Leaders Statement on Counter-Terrorism. They underlined that terrorism was a direct challenge to APEC's vision of free, open and prosperous economies, and to the fundamental values that APEC members hold. Leaders built on their commitments in a further Statement on Fighting Terrorism and Promoting Growth in 2002 in Los Cabos, as well as in every subsequent Leaders Statement. Leaders agreed to take appropriate individual and joint actions to follow up on the commitments in line with their respective circumstances and in accordance with APEC principles.

Bearing in mind Leaders' instructions to monitor progress and build capacity in counter-terrorism, the APEC Counter-Terrorism Task Force was established in May 2003 to:
  • coordinate the implementation of Leaders' Statements and commitments on fighting terrorism and enhancing human security
  • assist members to identify and assess counter-terrorism needs
  • coordinate capacity building and technical assistance programs
  • cooperate with relevant international and regional organizations
  • facilitate cooperation between APEC fora on counter-terrorism issues
The mandate of the task force is in place until the end of 2008.

Counter Terrorism Action Plans were developed in 2003 as a tool for tracking the progress of economies in implementing Leaders' directions on APEC's security and counter-terrorism related work program, and for identifying the capacity building assistance required by member economies to implement these measures.

One of APEC's key counter-terrorism priorities is the Secure Trade in the APEC Region (STAR) initiative which aims to secure and enhance the flow of goods and people through measures that protect cargo, ships, international aviation and people in transit. STAR programs are designed to include the private sector, in recognition of the fact that the engagement and active participation of business is fundamental to the success of APEC's secure trade agenda.

Achievements

APEC Food Defense Principles
Leaders endorsed in Sydney this set of voluntary principles to help protect the food supply against deliberate contamination. These Principles will make an important contribution to international counter terrorism efforts in this area.

Counter-Terrorism Financing Workshops
The workshops focused on the role and responsibilities of Financial Intelligent Units in monitoring transactions involving charities, non-profit organizations and alternative remittance systems. The workshops have helped APEC economies meet their international counter-terrorism financing obligations.

APEC Trade Recovery Program (TRP)
Leaders and Ministers endorsed the
APEC's trade recovery program which addressed the importance of establishing measures and processes by APEC economies to minimize disruption to trade flows in the event of a major terrorist attack on the supply chain. They also encouraged economies to undertake pilot projects.

The APEC Capacity Building Workshop on the Trade Recovery Program workshop was held in Singapore on 23-24 July, 2008. It focused on the importance of having a TRP, explored possible cooperation areas between APEC economies and developed possible approaches for the conduct of a TRP pilot project. Singapore will lead a Pilot Trade Recovery Exercise in 2009.

APEC Seminar on Protection of Cyberspace from Terrorist Use and Attack (Seoul, Korea, 26-27 June, 2008)
The seminar encouraged cooperative and effective efforts to combat various cyber threats, building trust and confidence to allow for continued information-sharing, the exchange of best practices and experiences in fostering a culture of cyber security, and enhancing cooperation among different APEC sub-fora.

Fifth Secure Trade in the APEC Region (STAR V) Conference (Sydney, 27-28 June)
Under the theme "Mitigating Risks: Containing Costs," participants discussed and recognized that enhancing safety and security for people and cargo between APEC economies brings with it increased costs. The challenge is to design security systems which are based on appropriate risk management strategies, that are cost-effective and which deliver trade efficiencies. The conference underlined the need for governments to work with industry in public-private partnerships if this challenge is to be met. STAR V's key conclusion was that there was scope to further harmonize identity and supply chain security measures across APEC economies and this could contribute to broader international efforts.

Cyber Security Training (Seoul, Korea, 15-30 November, 2007)
Endorsed as a CTTF-TEL joint project, this training provided courses on effective measures to strengthen cyber security in the Asia-Pacific region, including know-how on the establishment of CERTS, and enactment and implementation of laws relating to cyber security as instructed by Leaders in Los Cabos. It also raised awareness both in the public and private sectors of the danger of cyber-terrorism, as well as to help reinforce APEC member economies' capacity to respond to other threats in cyberspace.

APEC Best Practices in Post-Blast Scene Management Workshop
Taking place in Bangkok, Thailand on 7-11 January, 2008, this workshop provided police officers with the necessary skills to coordinate a post-blast scene. Emphasis was placed on organizing a team approach to the investigation of the scene.

APEC Seminar on Protection of Cyberspace from Terrorist Use and Attack

The seminar encouraged cooperative and effective efforts to combat various cyber threats, building trust and confidence to allow for continued information-sharing, the exchange of best practices and experiences in fostering a culture of cyber security, and enhancing cooperation among different APEC sub-fora. The seminar was held in Seoul on 26-27 June.


APEC Counter-Terrorism Review 2001-2006
A summary of APEC's counter-terrorism achievements and of the work done by the CTTF up until 2006 is available in the APEC Counter-Terrorism Review 2001-2006, prepared by the Philippines, and presented in November 2006.

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Current Activities

The CTTF endorsed a number of projects and new initiatives for implementation in 2008, which include:

The Counter-Terrorism Protection of Critical Energy Infrastructure
This is a long-term multistage proposal. The first step in its realization would require a better understanding of ways to improve regional efforts to prevent disruptions of the APEC critical energy infrastructure by deliberate terrorist attack. Further stages of the project includes: establishing points of contact, should the members desire; identification of synergies with work done in other multilateral fora and in APEC; review of how critical energy infrastructure is being protected; review of what responses are in place; and review of how economies share information.

Project on Public-Private Partnership Development in Counter-Terrorism
The project will aim to: a) map counter-terrorism public-private partnerships that have already been implemented in the region, and identify the forms of partnerships that have been successfully employed; b) identify how the private sector can improve its bottom line while helping to secure trade, and what additional incentives would support additional participation by the private sector in APEC public-private partnerships, and c) explore areas where further application of public-private partnerships domestically or regionally could be potentially valuable. The workshop will take place in Lima, Peru on 19 August 2008.

Seminar on Securing Remittance and Cross Border Payments from Terrorist Use
The goal of the seminar is to provide a forum for regulatory and law enforcement authorities to share their experiences in implementing FATF Special Recommendation VI and VII as well as to share best practices techniques to enhance the knowledge of detecting abuse through remittances, explore opportunities and develop strategies for regional cooperation so as to enhance transparent remittance channels, and develop guidelines for effective implementation across APEC economies. It will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia on 23-24 October 2008.

Sixth Secure Trade in the APEC Region (STAR VI) Conference
The conference will reinforce APEC's secure trade agenda by identifying practical ways to implement the mandate of Leaders' and Ministerial statements; and, in partnership with the private sector, will identify ways of mitigating risks to secure trade, without compromising the flow of trade. The conference will be held in Lima on 20-21 August 2008.

Aviation Security
The CTTF endorsed the Workshop on Aviation Security which aims to facilitate the conduct of internal audits and investigations by economies in compliance with ICAO standards and recommended practices, in order to improve and sustain the integrity of aviation security systems in APEC economies. Participants will also share experiences in establishing domestic aviation security quality control programs. The workshop will take place in Ha Noi, Viet Nam in January 2009.

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Counter Terrorism Task Force (CTTF) - Key Contacts
Chair
Mr. Park Sang Ki
Ambassador for International Counter Terrorism Cooperation
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
712 ? ho, Central Government Complex
37 Sejong-ro, Jongro-gu, Seoul, Korea 110-787
Tel: (822) 2100-7780
Fax: (822) 2100-7996
Email :
skpark75@mofat.go.kr
cc : Ms. Yujin HONG, CTTF Chair's Assistant
Email: yjhong07@mofat.go.kr

APEC Secretariat
Ms. Monica Ochoa
Director (Program)
E-mail: mop@apec.org

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Achievements
Current Activities
Contact Information
Find Out More
CTTF Events
Counter Terrorism Action Plans
Secure Trade in the APEC Region (STAR)
Downloads
CTTF Fact Sheet
(PDF,61 Kb)
APEC Trade Recovery Programme Study Report (endorsed by Ministers in Sept 2007)
External Related Links
G8 Counter-Terrorism Cooperation since September 11
Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism
UN Counter-Terrorism Committee