Rabat – Morocco is among the list of states interested in using the newly launched United Nations’ security program, which aims to improve tracking of suspected terrorists.
The UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) launched on Tuesday the “go Travel” software, which will be used by its member states to detect terrorists travel.
According to the UN, the UNOCT described the program as a “flagship initiative” to assist countries to in improving the detection of suspected terrorists and serious criminals via “the collection, identification, and analysis of their passenger data.”
The software, according to the UN, is a “reconfigured version of a system donated by the Netherlands to the United Nations.”
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United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed satisfaction with the launch of the program, emphasizing that recent attacks in Kenya, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka are “tragic reminders of the global reach of the scourge of terrorism.”
He added that the program will help countries collect and share “travel data with other competent national and international authorities, with full respect for privacy and other fundamental freedoms.”
“The programme is currently funded by India, Japan, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia,” the UN said.
The program will help Morocco’s security services to boost its successful counterterrorism strategy against suspected terror groups.
In recent years, Morocco’s security members dismantled hundreds of terror cells thanks to its counterterrorism strategy and the efficiency of the collaboration between all law enforcement agencies, including the Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (BCIJ).
The efficiency of Morocco’s strategy helped the North African country to avoid more terror attacks after the heinous 2011 and 2003 terror crimes.
Morocco’s efforts were lauded in international reports and counterterrorism symposiums.
At the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) committee meeting on March 13, in Spain, the committee elected Morocco to co-chair the forum with Canada in 2020-2022.
It is the third consecutive time the committee has elected Morocco to co-chair the forum. GCTF’s decision comes as a recognition of Morocco’s imminent role to fight terrorism and extremism.
In 2018, Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) reported that Morocco’s security services are “playing a central role in Europe’s efforts to counter ISIS terrorism.”
It also said that Morocco’s security services helped Morocco to avoid terror attacks, which increased sharply in the Maghreb region.
AOAV’s remarks on Morocco’s efforts were also echoed by other reports, including from the US Department of State, which touted Morocco’s counterterrorism cooperation with the US.
