At a regional workshop focused on the initiative to counter Unmanned Aerial Systems threats, the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) addressed the potential risks posed by terrorist use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), based on the key findings of CTED¡¯s latest Trends Alert on ¡°Greater Efforts Needed to Address the Potential Risks Posed by Terrorist Use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems¡±. ¡°Increased accessibility and affordability have led to renewed attempts by organized crime and terrorist groups for malicious use of technology,¡± said a CTED representative. The CTED expert stressed the potential terrorist use of UAS in four areas: attacks, disruption, surveillance, and propaganda; and explained the current approaches in terms of regulation and security frameworks to counter this emerging threat.
The two-day workshop from 28-29 May 2019 was held in Amsterdam and co-organized by the governments of the United States and Germany. Participants included members and partners of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF), international and regional organizations, UAS and Counter-UAS industry representatives, and law enforcement. Discussions consisted of the threat assessment in Africa, the tools and responses for Countering UAS , illicit proliferation of UAS and UAS knowledge, future advances in UAS technology, cross-sector cooperation between governments and industry, effective countermeasures against UAS and national policy and law and inter-ministerial operational response.
CTED participated in the event as a partner of the GCTF. Its representative stated that States face two key challenges: ¡°limited guidance on prevention of terrorist acquisition of UAS and fast-paced-technological development¡± to which States must respond by developing more holistic approaches at a regional and international level while protecting human rights.
During this workshop, a draft of the non-binding internationally recognized Good Practices document was discussed. This document seeks to provide guidance to governments in developing policies and app