Upcoming APEC STAR Conference to Encourage Shared Business-Government Counter Terrorism Responsibility
The importance of business sector participation in regional counter terrorism efforts has been highlighted by the Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat, Ambassador Mario Artaza.
In an address to the Regional Ministerial Meeting on Counter Terrorism currently taking place in Bali, Ambassador Artaza said that as terrorism poses one of the greatest threats to the global economy countering this threat is a shared responsibility.
Ambassador Artaza said this shared responsibility will be a key feature of the Second Secure Trade in the APEC Region (STAR) Conference taking place in Santiago, Chile, in March.
"Combining the experience of business with the authority of government enables stronger defences against terrorism and also helps to protect cargo, ships, aviation and travelers.
"Addressing the twin goals of protecting against the terrorist threat while at the same time facilitating the free flow of legitimate trade, finances and passengers will be the central topic of the STAR Conference.
"The STAR Conference will bring together officials from APEC?s 21 Member Economies with leading business people and representatives from international organizations to advance coordinated counter terrorism initiatives.
"This is the second year of the STAR Conference after the first meeting was held in Bangkok in 2003.
"The STAR Initiative has been developed by APEC Member Economies working with the private sector and includes measures to protect cargo, ships, aviation and travelers."
Ambassador Artaza said counter terrorism issues are a high priority for the APEC process and he briefed the Bali Ministerial meeting on APEC?s ongoing counter terrorism program.
"APEC Leaders have laid directions for the development of initiatives designed to dismantle transnational terrorist groups while at the same time promoting legitimate trade and border movements," Ambassador Artaza told the meeting.
"An important part of this APEC strategy is also ensuring that APEC Member Economies are able to access the resources required to build their counter terrorism capacity.
"To better identify individual capacity building needs, each APEC Member Economy has prepared a Counter-Terrorism Action Plan. These Plans are being reviewed by experts to identify specific areas where economies may require assistance from other APEC Members or international organizations."
APEC's counter terrorism activities cover a large area including the protection of energy supply chains and the movement of cargo, enacting comprehensive legal frameworks to combat cybercrime and the tracking of finances in international transactions.