On Tuesday, Naif Arab University for Security Sciences (NAUSS), in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior in the Kingdom of Bahrain and the International Organization for Migration (IOM), organizes the workshop of the "Legal Identity: Border Security and Safe Mobility."
The Bahraini capital, Manama, hosts the workshop from January 17 to January 19, 2023, with the participation of experts and specialists from 13 Arab countries.
The participating countries are: Jordan, UAE, Bahrain, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, Kuwait, Libya, Morocco, Egypt, Mauritania, Yemen, in addition to experts from the United Nations, UNICEF, ICAO, the Austrian Academy, and the Egyptian Police Academy.
During the opening speech, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior for Nationality, Passports and Residence Affairs in the Kingdom of Bahrain, His Excellency Sheikh Hisham bin Abdul Rahman bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, affirmed the importance of the workshop.
He said that the Kingdom of Bahrain was keen, through its national legislation, to create an effective legislative system to enhance the concept of legal identity, protect its individuals and guarantee their rights.
Al Khalifa explained that national legislation and laws are the pillars for the existence of a legal identity that is dealt with inside and outside the national borders. This allows the holder of identity documents to move across countries safely in accordance with international laws.
Sheikh Hisham Al Khalifa expressed his thanks to NAUSS and IOM for organizing the workshop, highlighting the importance of joint cooperation for the benefit of workers in this field in the Arab countries.
For his part, Vice President for External Relations at NAUSS Dr. Khaled Al-Harfash said that the University –as the academic body of the Arab Interior Ministers Council- works to transfer best practices and expertise in security fields to Arab countries.
Dr. Al-Harfash added that the workshop reflects the University's interest in the issue of border security by organizing scientific conferences and seminars and providing refereed scientific studies and related policy papers.
The Supreme Council of NAUSS recently approved the establishment of the Arab Center for Technical Cooperation in Migration and Border Management to enhance regional capacities in the field of migration and border management, protection of migrants and human rights. The Centre also aims to provide recommendations and set strategies for managing human mobility and migration in a more efficient manner.
In turn, Mr. Othman Al-Belbeisi, the Director of the Regional Office of the International Organization for Migration in the Middle East and North Africa, said that the workshop discusses the most important policies to enhance the efforts of the countries of the region in their endeavor to regulate migration in a safe, regular and effective manner.
He expressed the IOM's pride in expanding regional partnerships that contribute directly to accelerating the pace of implementation of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration in the region.
Meanwhile, the UN Resident Coordinator in the Kingdom of Bahrain, Khalid Al-Mekwad, stated that the workshop affirms the United Nations' keenness to support and enhance the capabilities of the authorities in the region to ensure the rule of law. He affirmed the importance of holding such discussions on legal identity issue, record vital information; in order to issue a legal identity guide for this targeted group of individuals, which is in dire need of the assistance of the international community.