Iraq – IOM Iraq last week facilitated a study visit for Iraq Ministry of Interior officials to the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) in Lyon, France. The three-day visit was organized through IOM’s Capacity Building in Migration Management programme, funded by the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection.

INTERPOL officials and specialists in data management and sharing, especially in the areas of cross-border and international investigations and operations, presented data management tools, including INTERPOL databases. As Iraq is an INTERPOL member state, Iraqi border officials may utilize these data sharing tools in their migration and border management work.

The Iraqi delegation of six senior officials enhanced their technical expertise through INTERPOL’s global networking facilities. The delegation agreed on information sharing and developing recommendations for enhancing this mechanism in border management, to be considered by Iraq’s Ministry of the Interior.

According to IOM Iraq’s Displacement Tracking Matrix, over 3.18 million Iraqis are displaced within Iraq since January 2014 due to the current crisis. This displacement, accompanied with external migratory flows to Europe, has increased migration-related concerns including smuggling, trafficking in human beings and other forms of irregular migration.

IOM Iraq Chief of Mission Thomas Lothar Weiss said: “To address the displacement crisis in Iraq, enhanced migration management and humanitarian response mechanisms are required. Strengthening links between INTERPOL and Iraq’s Ministry of Interior is a concrete step to facilitate the work of Iraq’s border management officials. IOM Iraq continues to work together with the UN Country Team, humanitarian partners and government representatives to develop our coordinated response to assist the millions of Iraqis affected by the current crisis.”

Study visit participant Colonel Ali Mahdi Salih of the Minister's Office said: “The Ministry began cooperating with INTERPOL well before the onset of the migration crisis. Our continued partnership and information sharing has enabled us to take full advantage of the stolen and lost passport database. We appreciate IOM’s support to facilitate the development of our knowledge of migration and border management."

The Capacity Building in Migration Management programme, now in its fifth phase, is a pilot project in border management targeting Basra International Airport, through the provision of capacity building training, enhanced equipment and development of standard operating procedures. It follows 10 years of partnership between IOM Iraq, the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection, and the Government of Iraq.

For further information please contact IOM Iraq, Sandra Black, Tel. +964 751 234 2550, Email: sblack@iom.int or Alvina Samjawon, Email: asamjawon@iom.int