Bangkok – Following yesterday’s adoption of the UN Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) by 164 countries, border management specialists from around the world are today (11/12) gathering in Bangkok, Thailand, for the 5th Border Management & Identity Conference (BMIC) on Technical Cooperation and Capacity Building.

The three-day biennial event – the biggest of its kind in Asia – is hosted by IOM and the Asia Pacific Smart Card Association (APSCA), under the auspices of the Royal Thai Government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and facilitated by Thailand’s Immigration Bureau. Its 2018 theme is Alternative Approaches to Border and Identity Management.

The conference aims to bring together government agencies, international organizations and practitioners involved in border and migration management from around the world to share best practices. Participants include representatives of governments, UN agencies and private sector organizations working in the field of migration, border management, identity management and civil registration.

In a welcome message read to nearly 400 delegates by IOM Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific Dr. Nenette Motus, IOM Director General Antonio Vitorino noted that effective border and identity management will play a key role in implementing the GCM. But he emphasized the need for governments to place human rights “front and centre” in their efforts to achieve safe, orderly and regular migration.

“We need to establish consensus and international protocols to manage and protect by robust laws, procedures and systems, all personal data collected during the migration management process. Equally important, while technology can often serve as an enabler, it must be incorporated into a layered and rights-based system, that also considers the contribution of human judgment,” he said.

“Governments must therefore ensure continuous training and capacity building for border officials, not only on the latest technological advances, but also to ensure a rights-based and human-centric approach. The most effective response is one that addresses the complex drivers of irregular and forced migration, including political instability, under-development and climate change,” he added.

Greg Pote, Chairman of APSCA, told delegates that BMIC has emerged as a major event in border and identity management since its inauguration in 2010. “In the room today, we have 61 government identity authorities from around the world, and delegates from 72 countries in total. For identity solutions providers, this is one of the world’s best opportunities to engage with governments that are designing, implementing and operating border and identity management schemes for citizens, residents and travellers,” he said.

For more information please contact Donato Colucci at the IOM Regional Office Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok. Tel: +66 2 342 9403, Email: dcolucci@iom.int