In early November 2021, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) held its first workshop in a two-part series addressing aviation security challenges. The virtual workshop Aviation Security: Watchlisting focused on the requirements of UN Security Council Resolution 2396 for Member States to develop and implement watchlisting mechanisms to identify known and suspected terrorists, including foreign terrorist fighters. The governments of the Republic of Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, and the United States of America co-chaired the event.
Using foundational elements from the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) Counterterrorism Watchlisting Toolkit, this workshop provided fundamentals for understanding, creating, executing, and maintaining successful watchlists at both national and international levels. Experts and practitioners from across the globe gathered to raise awareness about the current efforts different countries have in place and to ask critical questions about how to best move watchlisting efforts forward in a collaborative and beneficial way. The meeting format provided an interactive blend of panel discussions and breakout groups/group simulations to give the attendees a collaborative virtual setting that fostered valuable discussions.
With the support of the Global Center on Cooperative Security, this workshop brought together over 70 participants representing the ASEAN Member States of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, and other representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat, the Republic of Korea, the United States, and United Nations entities.