Sunday 5th November 2023: ICMPD organised a high-level presentation on the priorities of the Iraqi government in the area of border management in Baghdad, Iraq. The event allowed Iraqi government partners to present their vision, priorities, and planning of the Iraqi government to members of the international and diplomatic community.
With the support of the EU-funded project on ‘Integrated Border Management in the Silk Routes Countries,’ ICMPD has been facilitating the work of the Iraqi government and its twelve border-related authorities on the development of the National Integrated Border Management (IBM) Strategy and related Action Plan. This work was bolstered through a series of specialized workshops, site visits, technical assistance, and assessment missions.
These events have aided in establishing Iraq’s vision and priorities, which include five strategic areas: national security, public safety, and the rule of law along the borders; effective revenue collection; cooperation and coordination at national and international levels; improvement of infrastructure and human resources; as well as the establishment of risk management and contingency planning systems.
Border management is a transnational issue that extends beyond borders, and international cooperation is one of the three pillars of IBM. The event aimed to provide the space for new ideas, cooperation plans, and international exchange modalities to emerge, as well as to contribute to the IBM action plan and its international cooperation-related activities.
Context:
The event was hosted in the framework of the “Integrated Border Management in the Silk Routes Countries” (IBM-Silk Routes) project. The IBM-Silk Routes project is funded by the European Union and is implemented by ICMPD. The project aims to support the countries of the Silk Routes region, including Iraq, to build more effective and efficient border management systems, and in doing so strengthen the capacity of state authorities to combat irregular migration, encourage safe migration, and enhance trade and prosperity across borders.
