The United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and Georgia, represented by Operative-Technical Agency of Georgia, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) today formalizing their partnership to strengthen cooperation in preventing and countering terrorism and organized crime through the use of GoTravel software. 

The MoU and MoA will accelerate the delivery of comprehensive technical assistance to Georgia under the United Nations Countering Terrorist Travel Programme (CT Travel). The MoU will allow the United Nations to continue supporting the country to enhance its capabilities to detect and intercept terrorists and serious criminals by using travel information and cross-checking the data against INTERPOL and other international and national databases of known and suspected terrorists and criminals. The MoA will enable UNOCT to provide technical assistance and license the United Nations “goTravel” software solution and related services to Georgia to support the collection and analysis of advance passenger information (API) and passenger name record (PNR) data. 

Georgia is one of more than 70 Member States that have joined the CT Travel Programme since its launch in May 2019. The agreements lay out the foundation of a strategic partnership to assist Georgia in advancing compliance with international law, in particular international human rights, refugee and international humanitarian law, in its use of API and PNR data. 

The CT Travel Programme follows a ''One-UN'' partnership approach to provide comprehensive, yet tailored assistance to beneficiary Member States, with the support of six implementing partners, including the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (CTED), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the United Nations Office of Information and Communication Technology (UNOICT), and the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), and International Organization for Migration (IOM). 

The collaboration between the Georgian Government and the CT Travel Programme was facilitated by the IOM Mission Office in Georgia. Since 2018, IOM has assisted the Georgian Government in deploying the Advance Passenger Information (API) and Passenger Name Record (PNR) systems, funded by the European Union. This assistance has enabled Georgia to develop the necessary network and server infrastructure and establish connections with major airlines to receive passenger data, which is instrumental in combating terrorism and serious crime effectively.