The RSO and the International Border Management and Technologies Association (IBMATA) published an outcome report from a joint workshop held in Singapore on 20 September 2022 exploring how public and private actors across the international border community can help to deter and disrupt activities around people smuggling and trafficking of humans.
There was strong consensus around the need to prioritise information sharing within and across borders, to strengthen impact across the international community. Delegates discussed the need for the creation of a global standard for international data sharing, further support for front line border staff in data collection and where possible, efforts to make systems more consistent across borders.
In keeping with several previous IBMATA findings, the group agreed that Border Agencies should use new and emerging technology to pre-clear the vast majority of legitimate and low-risk travellers; and develop tools to allow skilled border force officers to focus more time and effort on the suspect and high-risk travellers.
Where advances are being made in data gathering, adoption of technology and intelligence – best practice needs to be shared across countries and systems aligned. The forum noted that there are several companies developing tools to enhance data gathering and intelligence and that it is important that Border Agencies and others are made aware of these capabilities and that private sector works with states to build understanding and trust of these resources.
The RSO and IBMATA noted their joint commitment to support stakeholders in strengthening border management to fight against transnational crime and look forward to future opportunities for engagement.
Download the pdf here.
