The Congress programme included high level discussions and a series of workshops for promoting greater collaboration on the international challenges. In addition, there were fruitful discussions on the use of electronic border assistance systems to enhance the security of the borders.

EUBAM Libya/Juergen Illig

Participants of the Congress in Skopje.

The 2023 World Border Security Congress brought together the world’s senior policy makers, practitioners and players to discuss and debate the current and future issues facing border management, including migration management.

“Currently, Libyan border guards struggle to fulfil their tasks related to border surveillance with responsibilities to tackling cross-border crimes”, states Luis Puig, EUBAM Libya’s Head of the Border Management Unit. “Libyan border guards are lacking of operational capabilities including equipment and require smart border technology which is not set up yet. The Libyan land borders are currently not entirely secured by the national border guards due to the lack of appropriate equipment, staffing and special operation procedures.”

Therefore, the Libyan border management officer’s attendance to the World Border Security Congress assisted them to be up to date on the latest, policies, challenges and resolving strategies facing integrated border management. The congress enabled the Libyan border management agencies attendees to receive the latest information to adjust their own policies and programs to further enhance the security of the borders. They also gained insights in to what the future holds for the management of migration and refugee movement, as well as systems and technologies employed in fighting illegal border activities, including drug, weapon and human being trafficking.

Outcome

The overall objective of the attendance was to strengthen the operational capacity of the Libyan border management agencies at border crossing points (BCPs) and the areas between them to establish the knowledge of the benefits of the use of smart technology in the border control tasks (border checks and border surveillance) and to implement a smart border surveillance technology.

Therefore, the congress attendance aimed at improving the understanding of use of smart technology on border control and increasing the capacities of Libyan border and customs officers in charge, in particular on better border surveillance, better border control as well as better inspection of goods.