On 23 and 24 November 2022, the Prague Process participated in the fifth ICMPD International Border Management Conference held in Amman under the Patronage of the Minister of Interior of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, H.E. Mazin Abdellah Al Farrayeh. The conference brought together some 150 participants from 26 countries, representing border management agencies, donor and international organizations, academia, the private sector, as well as 13 ICMPD offices.
The event kicked off with six pre-conference parallel sessions featuring engaging discussions on various BM aspects ranging from data collection and analyses to gender and human rights, challenges in document security, modernization and procurement. Multi-agency governance was identified as a driver of Integrated Border Management (IBM), which itself enables the multi-dimensional governance at maritime borders.
The conference consisted of three panel discussions presenting good practices and recommendations for strengthening operational capacity within a professional and modern border management (BM). The IBM approach was assessed in all its diversity and potential, including its relevance and benefits and good practice examples for enhanced international cooperation. Participants had an opportunity to dwell into the ever-evolving world of BM and the challenges arising from its evolution.
In her welcoming speech, H.E. Maria Hadjitheodosiou, Head of EU Delegation to Jordan, underlined the importance of an integrated approach towards BM, involving all the relevant public services working at the border. The challenge, she said, “is to ensure that border management policies, administrative and operational arrangements, as well as human resources, are sufficient and enabled to pursue both the developmental and security aspects of cross-border movements in a carefully balanced manner”.
Luca Tagliaretti, Interim Executive Director of EU-LISA, introduced the Smart borders in the European Union, touching on existing programmes and initiatives, and assessed the main challenges and opportunities for the future. Whereas the State Border Guard Service (SBGS) of Lithuania presented lessons learned from the management of large-scale irregular migration, the SBGS of Ukraine highlighted the challenges of BM while fighting against the ongoing Russian aggression. Inspite of the war, the continued implementation of the European IBM principles remains a top priority for Ukraine. All speakers underlined the importance of efficient and effective BM for coping with today’s challenges and the confronted hybrid threats.
The representatives of the six Prague Process states attending the conference expressed their gratitude and satisfaction about the rich practical knowledge gained and the opportunity to exchange experiences with colleagues from the wider region.
