Cairo, 19 September 2016 - IOM and the Egyptian Ministry of Interior (MoI) organized a training from 18 to 22 September for 19 government officials on passport examination procedures in order to strengthen security procedures at Egyptian entry and exit points.

Participants acquired in-depth, hands-on experience using verification equipment to identify forged documents through such features as the stitching and manufacture of passports, security inks, fibres and threads, perforation methods and printing techniques.

“IOM has been cooperating with the Government of Egypt on reinforcing its response to this problem. Relying on expertise from IOM border management experts, IOM and the MoI undertook an assessment last year, which identified a need for training staff and provision of relevant equipment,” said IOM Egypt Head of Office Amr Taha.

The workshop, which is the second in a series of trainings, will be followed by a training of trainers and subsequent roll out trainings using to enhance border management in Egypt. Support also includes the development of a training manual to institutionalize training for front line officers.

Irregular migration movements from Egypt are on the rise. Some 12,000 migrants arrived in Italy from Egypt between January and September, compared with 7,000 over the same period in 2015 according to Frontex, the EU Border Agency. Many European countries fear Egypt may become a new “hot spot” for smuggling and trafficking.

IOM Egypt this week also delivered two vehicles to the MoI to support daily migration management operations in Alexandria Port, in line with the overall enhancement of exit and entry points. It plans to deliver more equipment to build the capacity of frontline officers on Egyptian borders.

The workshop and equipment is part of an IOM project funded by the Government of Japan: “Strengthen Technical and Operational Practices to Address Irregular Migration at Egyptian Entry and Exit Points.”

For further information, please contact Heba Abdellatif at IOM Egypt. Tel: +202-27365140, Email: iomegypt@iom.int