Background: Despite the international efforts, the World has observed increased acts, methods, and practices of terrorism that threaten the fundamental values underpinning APEC’s free and open economies as well as human capital development. APEC is not free-rider of free and open economies, but it is responsible to secure the environment to realize and sustain the free and open economies as well as prosperities for all. APEC Leaders have reiterated that “Secure Growth” is one of five essential elements of APEC Growth Strategy; and they have committed to the APEC Consolidated Counter-Terrorism and Secure Trade Strategy (here-in-after referred to as Secure Trade). Counter Terrorism Working Group (CTWG) is the dedicated sub-fora assigned to implement the APEC Secure Trade.
Recognizing the needs of public – private partnership to suppress terrorism threats, APEC STAR Conference (Secure Trade in the APEC Region) was first organized in 2003; and to date 9 (nine) STAR Conference meetings have organized. The STAR conference is in a form of Public - Private Dialogue on counter-terrorism policy and measures. With increased and more complex threats of terrorism, CTWG has decided to organize 10th STAR Conference at a margin of 2016 SOM3. It picks up Secure Supply Chain as the theme of the Conference: international supply chain needs enhancing resilience against the terrorism attacks; preventing free-rider by terrorists through explosives and firearms smuggling; and preventing terrorists’ funding sources, such as, illicit trafficking of drugs, CITES products and other controlled items. Secure Supply Chain is so imperative that it is listed one of the four intensive sectors of Secure Trade (others are Secure Travel, Secure Finance, and Secure Infrastructure).
Project Format: The 10th STAR Conference will take place as a day-and-half Public Private Dialogue (PPD) scheduled on August 20-21, 2016 in Lima, Peru, on the margins of the APEC Third Senior Officials Meeting (SOM 3). It will provide participants to update the situations and counter-measures and deepen the understandings of challenges and opportunities of public and private collaboration to suppress the terrorism threats. The 10th STAR Conference would address a variety of topics, including:
· Better understanding the terrorism situations and counter-measures in the field of international supply chain;
· Focus on terrorist risks and related threats in order to boost counter-terrorism cooperation and overall resilience of supply chains in the APEC region;
· Update the knowledge on on-going and planned APEC activities, including, APEC Sub-Committee on Customs Procedures contributing to counter-terrorism;
· How public sector and private sector can work together towards suppress the terrorism while addressing interests of securing open, free, facilitated supply chain; and
· How inter-agency coordination can enhance the security while preventing unnecessary additional burden to the trade.
The STAR Conference will beefit from experts of APEC economies, in accordance with APEC procedures for seeking approval of non-member participation, experts from relevant international bodies and the private sector.
Partners: This workshop is a self-funded project being implemented through the APEC CTWG in close collaboration with SCCP and organized by the proposing economy, Indonesia, Japan, Peru, the Philippines, and Russia.