OSCE organizes workshop on establishing Advance Passenger Information system in Armenia

A three-day workshop on how to establish an Advance Passenger Information (API) system for preventing the movement of foreign terrorist fighters and enhancing aviation security was held in Yerevan from 17 to 19 June 2019.  Some 20 representatives from relevant Armenian agencies involved in passenger processing, together with police and customs officials and members of the civil aviation authority and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, attended the event.

The workshop, which focused on drafting a roadmap for setting up an API system, was organized by the OSCE Transnational Threats Department (TNTD), with the support of Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

International experts from Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, together with representatives of the UN, airline companies and commercial service providers shared their experiences and best practices in working with API data and establishing the system. They emphasized the importance of strong inter-agency co-operation and a comprehensive legal framework that allows for the collection of passenger data while fully respecting citizens’ right to privacy.

An API system is an electronic system through which biographic data from a traveller’s passport and flight details are collected by airlines and transmitted to the relevant entities such as border control agencies before departure or arrival.

The collection and processing of API data by government structures has grown in importance since the adoption of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Resolution 2178 (2014), which calls for the establishment of individual API systems. This obligation has been further reinforced with the adoption of UNSC Resolution 2396 (2017) and Amendment 26 to the Chicago Convention, making an API system mandatory.

“During our API workshops, we aim to provide local authorities with a good understanding of how an API system works and to help them to identify technical assistance and financial opportunities available for the implementation of such a project,” said Simon Deignan, OSCE Programme Manager.

This was the eleventh workshop on API in the OSCE region organized since December 2016. The TNTD plans to conduct additional workshops across the OSCE area in 2019 and 2020.