Cairo, 30 June 2022 – In collaboration with the Egyptian Customs Authority, and under the auspices of the Ministry of Finance, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Egypt has conducted its first capacity-building activity on “Cybersecurity and Cybercrime Prevention”, delivered to 29 Egyptian customs officers, including field front-line officers and information security and technical support officers, as well as capacity-building officers and representatives from the Headquarters of the Egyptian Customs Authority. This training activity was held at the National Institute of Customs Training in Alexandria from 20 to 22 June 2022.

The management of mobility of people and mobility of goods is strongly interlinked as recognized by the Memorandum of Understanding signed between IOM and the World Customs Organization (WCO) in 2018. In line with IOM’s objectives to enhance border management and to combat cross-border migration-related crimes and in recognition of the role technological advancement plays in their thriving, particularly with the international shift to paper-less environment and to the electronic documentation in logistics, that training aimed at raising awareness of Egyptian customs officials on the importance of information security and the best practices of preventing information security breach.

It introduced participants to the fundamentals of information security and threats against confidentiality, integrity, and availability of information, resulting from breach of information security. The training then displayed examples of those cyber threats such as hacking and ransomware and illustrated the harm they pose on individuals and institutions. How to detect cyber threats was also tackled in addition to the means of prevention and protection against them as well as the measures that should be taken in case of facing those cyber threat. Finally, the different means and practices undertaken to ensure data security were discussed including the password, the digital signature, and biometric systems and their application in securing information.

 The training was highly interactive not only allowing the engagement of participants with the trainer but also allowing interaction and discussions among participants.  

It was made possible with the generous support of the Government of the Kingdom of Denmark through “Strengthening the Sphere of Protection for Victims of Trafficking and Vulnerable Migrants in Egypt while Preventing Irregular Migration and Human Trafficking” (SPHERE II).

The training activity contributes to the achievement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely, Goal 16: ‘Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions’, and Goal 17: ‘Partnerships for the Goals’. It also aligns with the Global Compact for Migration (GCM); Objective ‘11 Manage borders in an integrated, secure and coordinated manner’.

For more information, please contact Nahla Afify at IOM Egypt, email: naafify@iom.int