Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism (CICTE)

Following the recommendations of the Second Inter-American Specialized Conference on Terrorism (November 1998), the OAS General Assembly created the Inter-American Committee against Terrorism (CICTE) with the objective of fostering cooperation among OAS member states to prevent, combat, and eliminate terrorism in the Hemisphere. CICTE fosters increased cooperation and coordination among member states through training and the exchange of information among specialists and political leaders/decision-makers working together to strengthen hemispheric solidarity and security.

The first regular session of CICTE was held in Miami, Florida in October 1999, which developed a plan of work. A second regular session planned for 2000 had to be canceled at the last moment. No session was scheduled in 2001. However, the events of September 11, 2001 brought renewed focus to the Inter-American efforts to confront terrorism. The 23rd Meeting of Consultation of Ministers of Foreign Affairs met on September 21, 2001 in Washington, DC and adopted the Resolution Strengthening Cooperation to Prevent, Combat, and Eliminate Terrorism (RC.23/RES.1/01). This resolution entrusted the OAS Permanent Council with preparing a draft Inter-American Convention Against Terrorism with a view to presenting it to the next session of the OAS General Assembly.

In light of these and subsequent resolutions of the organs of the Inter-American system, CICTE held two special sessions October 15, 2001 and November 29, 2001. Between these sessions, three subcommittees (Financial Controls, Border Controls, and Work Plan) worked diligently to identify counter-terrorism actions for OAS Member States to implement at the multi-lateral, regional, sub-regional and national levels and to draft an ambitious although concrete agenda for CICTE to pursue in 2002-2003.

At the Second Regular Session of CICTE January 28-29, 2002 in Washington, DC, the ministers of interior and public Security and the other heads of delegations reported on the action taken by their respective nations to implement Resolution RC. 23 of September 21. On January 30, policy experts from the member states participated in a Policy Development Role Playing Exercise hosted by the United States to examine possible courses of action in response to a terrorist scenario.

In 2002, the OAS Secretary General established a secretariat within the General Secretariat to support CICTE and appointed an Executive Secretary in October 2002 to direct the operations of the CICTE secretariat. During 2002, the Secretariat designed and deployed an On-Line Anti-terrorism Database in support of the CICTE Work Plan 2002-2003. The current CICTE Executive Secretary, Carol Fuller, is a seconded U.S. Foreign Service Officer. Additionally, the CICTE Secretariat collaborates and coordinates with several other OAS organs, regional and international bodies that work in counter terrorism and related matters, including CICAD, GAFI, GAFISUD and CFATF and the United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC).

A key milestone in 2002 was the adoption of the Inter-American Convention against Terrorism, signed on June 3rd by 30 Member States at the OAS General Assembly in Bridgetown, Barbados, which entered into force in July 2003. This Convention has now been ratified by 17 member states and signed by 33, and is regarded as providing the legal structure for cooperation among OAS member states in the fight against terrorism, with CICTE as the main multilateral vehicle for promoting that cooperation and facilitating implementation of the Convention.

At its Third Regular Session (San Salvador, January 2003), it was reconfirmed that CICTE is the primary multilateral vehicle for hemispheric cooperation in the fight against terrorism. The Fourth Regular Session held in Montevideo, Uruguay (January 2004) further solidified CICTE as the premier counter-terrorism cooperation and capacity-building body within the inter-American system. The Fifth Regular Session was held in February 2005, in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago and focused on transportation and border security. The Seventh Regular Session was held in February 2007 in Panama City, Panama and focused on critical infrastructure protection, including combating cyber-security threats. The Eighth Regular Session, to be held in Washington D.C., in 2008, will reconfirm the importance of existing CICTE commitments, including critical infrastructure protection and combating terrorist financing.

CICTE initiatives are focused on strengthening the counterterrorism capacity of Member States to disrupt terrorism financing, enhance border security, address threats to transportation security (aviation and seaport) as well as cybersecurity. These initiatives include: (1) various counterterrorism (CT) legislative drafting projects with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime and the OAS Unit for Promotion of Democracy; (2) a secure network between CT authorities for communication and online training; (3) an online database on CT related best practices, guidelines, and authorities; (4) money laundering initiatives with OAS Counter Drug Committee (CICAD); (5) a border assessment/management program; (6) port security training program as well as technical assistant to comply with the IMO ISPS code; (7) a cybersecurity initiative with REMJA and CITEL; (8) a comprehensive airport security training program.