Bogotá – Experts from 16 countries, this week (13-14 March) attended the workshop Travel Document Integrity and Identity Management: Securing Our Borders workshop in the Colombian capital.

The workshop was organized by IOM, the UN Migration Agency, together with the Government of Canada and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in coordination with the Government of Colombia through its Ministry of External Affairs and Migration Colombia.

The experts came from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, the United States, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and Switzerland.

The meeting addressed issues such as passport integrity in the context of secure travel, preventative measures to combat travel document fraud, borders and international information management.

“This meeting also aimed to promote the exchange of best practices and case studies on the use of travel documents, within the framework of relevant international standards, as well as to share the progress and good examples of Canada, the United States, and the countries of Latin America,” said Diego Beltrand, IOM Regional Director for South America.

Participants discussed how to address the threat of fraud in the issuance of travel documents, and the sharing of information on new technologies available for the fight against related criminal practices, including the smuggling of migrants.

“The participants agreed that the secure issuance of these documents has direct repercussions on national as well as international security,” explained Ana Durán, IOM Colombia Chief of Mission. Durán also highlighted that fraud prevention is more efficient and less costly than addressing the consequences of these situations.

“Canada takes great pride in our respected passport system and is working with our partners in the Americas to continue enhancing our national identity management approaches and help reach our public safety and security objectives,” said Marcel Lebleu, Ambassador of Canada in Colombia.

In light of the current context and the reality of each participating country, one important challenge is to strengthen actions to establish the identity of those applying for travel document processing. Constant, careful, and systematic reviews of these processes are recommended to guarantee high levels of security and confidence as a basic step towards reducing the risks posed by fraudulent documentation.

For more information, please contact Karen Mora, IOM Colombia, Tel: + (57) 1 639 7777, Email: kmora@iom.int