US Mission Geneva

The Department of Homeland Security said the action builds on a series of administrative reforms designed to increase the department’s commitment to attracting international students.

While in New Zealand, Secretary Napolitano signed Joint Statements to Combat Trafficking in Persons, to Strengthen Border Security, Combat Transnational Organized Crime, and Facilitate Legitimate Trade and Travel.

Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano led a delegation of top U.S. intelligence and security officials in a Senate briefing on threats posed by computer attacks as lawmakers consider a new measure to strengthen cyberdefenses.

Transcript: Janet Napolitano, Secretary of Homeland Security, and Giovanni Bisignani, CEO and Director General of IATA, speak with the press following a meeting on aviation security in Geneva.

“Effective aviation security relies upon close coordination between airlines, government and law enforcement to identify, deter and disrupt threats,” said Secretary Napolitano. “I am committed to working closely with the airline industry and my international counterparts to strengthen global aviation security standards for passengers traveling to the United States and around the world.”

In Toledo, Secretary Napolitano stressed the need for collaborative international action to prevent terrorists from boarding commercial aircraft during meetings with ministers from more than 30 countries—the first in a series of global meetings intended to bring about broad consensus on enhancing international aviation security standards and procedures.

The attempted attack on December 25 was a powerful illustration that terrorists will go to great lengths to defeat the security measures that have been put in place since September 11, 2001. This Administration is determined to thwart those plans and disrupt, dismantle and defeat terrorist networks by employing multiple layers of defense that work in concert with one another to secure our country. This is an effort that involves not just DHS, but many other federal agencies and the international community as well.

Secretary Napolitano will travel to Geneva, Switzerland, on Jan. 22 to meet with members of the International Air Transport Association—which represents approximately 230 airlines and more than 90 percent of the world’s air traffic—as part of the Department’s efforts to work with the airline industry to ensure all flights to the U.S. meet both international and U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security standards.