DUSHANBE, August 3, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- A five-day workshop on Integrated Border Management (IBM) for Border Crossing Points (BCPs) for Tajik and Kyrgyz border officers concluded in the Tajik southern city of Qairoqqum on August 1, according to the UNDP Dushanbe Office.

The training workshop participants included nineteen representatives from the Border Force, Customs, Phyto-sanitary, Sanitary-epidemiology and Veterinary Services.

The training program included a series of presentations on the practical implementation of the IBM concept as well as case studies and a visit to the “Guliston” BCP.

The workshop was conducted by EU experts and BOMCA-trained local trainers with the support of representatives from the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD). Trainers presented examples of workflow analysis at EU land borders. Participants reviewed case studies and discussed procedures at BCPs.

An integral part of the training was a cross border workshop held at the “Guliston” BCP for border agency representatives from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. During a half-day training session, ICMPD trainers demonstrated the use of equipment for authenticating documents, modern transport and freight control techniques, and the need for effective interaction and cooperation amongst agencies working at the border.

Within the framework of the EU-UNDP BOMCA assistance program, the European Union helps foster institutional reform in border management, strengthen training capacities in Central Asia and support the improvement of infrastructure along trade and transit corridors in Central Asia.

The EU-UNDP BOMCA assistance program is funded by the European Union and implemented by UNDP with ICMPD as a sub-contractor.