A/HRC/24/47 kidnapping and disappearance has emphasized States’ obligations to protect lives and ensure access to justice for victims.93 44. An examination of best practices in responding to the phenomenon of kidnapping has generally led to them being divided into legislative, operational and preventive measures.94 Since this particular phenomenon (kidnapping) covers terrorist hostage-taking, relevant findings are applicable. Recommendations made in studies on international cooperation in the prevention, combating and elimination of kidnapping and in providing assistance to victims as detailed in the UNODC Counter-Kidnapping Manual are fully relevant to terrorist hostage-taking,95 and mostly relate to the improvement of informationsharing, law enforcement, judicial and operational cooperation, domestic legal systems and security apparatuses.96 Recommendations insist on the need for coherence and coordination in national policies and strategies, the criminalization of the offence in conformity with such international standards as the International Convention against the Taking of Hostages, the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, as well as on the reinforcement of international cooperation (law enforcement and capacity-building). Furthermore, preventive measures cover such areas as (a) increasing awareness and understanding of terrorist hostage-taking; (b) strategies aimed at increasing risks while decreasing opportunities for hostage-takers; and (c) mobilization of resources and training for actors involved in combating the phenomenon. 45. In 2012, the Global Counterterrorism Forum, in the Algiers Memorandum on Good Practices on Preventing and Denying the Benefits of Kidnapping for Ransom by Terrorists97 identified some of the contemporary good practices in dealing with the scourge of kidnapping for ransom.The practices identified insisted on the need to enhance domestic and international coordination of and cooperation between law enforcement authorities, intelligence agencies and financial intelligence units in preventing or responding to situations of terrorist hostage-takings for ransom. The Memorandum builds on a report of the Financial Action Task Force of 2011, which equally stressed the importance of domestic, regional and global cooperation between various institutions in addressing terrorist hostage-taking. In its work plan for 2012–2013, the Forum undertook some initiatives and activities to be implemented in countries of the Sahel Sahara aimed at strengthening border security; building legal and judicial cooperation between countries; building the capacities of police forces to counter terrorist activity; countering terrorism financing; and engaging civil society, local communities and traditional leaders in efforts to support the efforts of Governments to counter extremism.98 46. The criminalization of the payment of ransom by Governments and nongovernmental actors remains a controversial measure. Since the ultimate objective of 93 94 95 96 97 98 16 Ibid., pp. 592-593. See A/HRC/20/14, paras. 10-69, and UNODC, Handbook on Criminal Justice Responses, and, The Criminal Justice Response to Support Victims of Acts of Terrorism (see footnote 42). See also E/CN.15/2003/7, paras. 23-43. See A/HRC/20/14, paras. 10-69, and UNODC, Handbook on Criminal Justice Responses, and, The Criminal Justice Response to Support Victims of Acts of Terrorism (see footnote 42). www.unodc.org/documents/terrorism/Victims_Rights_E-Book_EN.pdf. See Bailliet, “Towards holistic transnational protection” (see footnote 72), pp. 598–599. Available from www.thegctf.org/documents/10162/36031/Algiers+Memorandum+on+Good+Practices+on+Preventin g+and+Denying+the+Benefits+of+KFR+by+Terrorists-English. See www.thegctf.org/documents/10162/19594/Sep+2011+-+GCTF+AlgeroCanadien+SWG+work+plan-EN.pdf.