VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN): The government of Japan has forecast a budget of 220 million Japanese yen (about US$2 million) in assistance to Laos in 2021 and 2022 to promote safe, regular and orderly migration in Laos.
This will be done by supporting the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) immigration and border management programme.
An agreement on the assistance was signed in Vientiane on Tuesday by IOM Chief of Mission Shareen Tuladhar and Japanese Ambassador to Laos Takewaka Keizo. The event was attended by officials from the Ministry of Public Security,
The two-year funding support will target the safe and orderly cross border movement of people through the implementation of effective and efficient border and migration management, using an integrated approach.
Representatives of Ngoi district and the company join villagers at the commencement ceremony of the drinking water demonstration project.
The funding from the government of Japan will address both technological and infrastructure needs to improve the Lao government’s human and technical capacities to effectively manage cross border movements at international airports and land borders.
Ambassador Keizo expressed his gratitude for the collaboration between Japan, the International Organisation for Migration, and the Ministry of Public Security.
The government of Japan has been contributing to sustainable development in Laos at various levels, including supporting the formulation of the 9th National Socio-Economic Plan, and providing technical assistance to frontline officials at border checkpoints.
Tuladhar, said theIOM is extremely grateful to the government of Japan and the government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic for this collaboration.
The funding is very timely, as the pandemic has put human mobility at the forefront of the Covid-19 response.
“It is vital for us to work towards strengthening border management in an effective and humane manner, ultimately protecting migrants in vulnerable situations and providing frontline officials with the necessary skills and infrastructure, ” she said.
To support primary and secondary line border control procedures, the IOM-developed Verifier Travel Document and Bearer system will be provided. This is a stand-alone system to help immigration and border control officers detect fraudulent travel documents and imposters.
The development of knowledge and skills of primary and secondary line border officials involved in document and identity verification processes will build on solid principles of respect for the human rights of all travellers.
The process ultimately aims to identify and protect the fundamental rights of vulnerable migrants, in line with international human rights commitments under international law.
As the leading intergovernmental organisation in the field of migration, while upholding border security and protecting migrants’ rights, the International Organisation for Migration is committed to supporting Member States to address complex migration and border management challenges, aiming to maintain the delicate balance between the facilitation of cross-border mobility and security.
Under its Health, Border and Mobility Framework, the International Organisation for Migration aims to promote safe, orderly and regular migration at points of origin, transit, destination and return. - Vientiane Times/Asia News Network
