Cairo, 19 July 2022 – Within the series of capacity-building activities that kicked off this year as part of the 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 second capacity-building activity on “Fraudulent Document Examination” from 26 to 29 June 2022 at the National Institute of Customs Training in Alexandria. It was delivered to 30 Egyptian customs officers, including field front-line in the airport and seaport, and desk officers, including legal and security officers and administrative information systems officers.

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 mobility through combating cross-border migration-related crimes while protecting vulnerable migrants and upholding their rights, the training focused on techniques to counter crimes related to customs and travel documents to support the efforts of the Government of Egypt in combatting cross-border criminal networks.

It introduced participants to key concepts on migration and migration-related crimes as well as evidence-based facts on national, regional and international migration to refute myths about the topic. It then focused on detecting fraudulent documents through distinguishing between genuine and fraudulent ones. Accordingly, the training addressed the differences between types of counterfeit offences as well as verification tools for examining documents, in addition to security features of value documents (security documents) and the criteria for selecting them. Participants have been also introduced to the production of security paper in addition to security features of the paper, types of printing and inks, and stamping and different types of seals. Further, to cater for the needs of front-line customs’ officers working at the airport and seaport, and based on the international standards of passports, participants were introduced to essentials of examining travel documents (passports) and detecting fraudulent ones, including the material used in producing passports and types of printing technologies, and assembling booklets of passports. Moreover, the difference between security features of paper passports and biometric (electronic) ones, including securing personal data, was also introduced. Finally, the difference between

Practical exercises allowed a high level of interaction during the training with strong engagement between the trainer and participants who used verification equipment, including magnifiers and UV light, to examine documents.

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 10: ‘Reduced Inequalities’, Goal 16: ‘Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions’, and Goal 17: ‘Partnerships for the Goals’. It also aligns with the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM); Objective 11: ‘Manage borders in an integrated, secure and coordinated manner’.