As part of the technical follow up to the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Council of Ministers of Internal Affairs in Minsk on 20 April 2005, IOM and the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Belarus, which is the current Secretariat of the CIS Council of Ministers of Internal Affairs, will co-organize a workshop on migration and biometrics for the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States on the 30th and 31st August 2005.
The workshop will have three main purposes:
1. To share experiences on various biometric applications, define best practices and enhance national and regional planning;
2. To stimulate the process of harmonization and to complement the biometric initiatives at the policy, programmatic and technical levels; and,
3. To provide a forum of discussion to identify needs and resources with the participating countries vis-à-vis the use and advancement of the systems.
The workshop will include the opportunity for each CIS Member to provide a brief update on its current and planned activities pertaining to biometrics.