Ashgabat, 17-18 June – The International Organization for Migration / UN Agency for Migration (IOM) Mission in Turkmenistan, with the support of the State Migration Service of Turkmenistan, jointly with the IOM Kyrgyzstan, is holding a two-day seminar on the topic: "Passenger data processing systems and tools (API/PNR) to combat the global pandemic." The current seminar is organized within the framework of the regional project for the Central Asian countries "Implementation of the Advance Passenger Information system in Central Asia", funded by the IOM Development Fund and focused on familiarizing participants with the current situation of API system implementation around the world. In particular, the goal of the seminar is to study best practices of API integration process, as well as explore other systems and tools that simplify the movement of passengers and allow passengers to travel safely. Participants also discussed all the benefits and challenges of how passenger data can be used to track COVID-19 cases and assist state authorities in addressing the global pandemic while upholding the rights of migrants and human beings.

The seminar is taking place in the conference hall of the “Yyldyz” Hotel, and attended by the representatives of relevant national authorities of the Government of Turkmenistan and the Kyrgyz Republic, including the State Migration Service, the State Frontier Service, the State Customs Service, the Ministry of National Security, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Health and Medical Industry, as well as the Civil Aviation Agency.

Mr. Christopher Horner, an international expert of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and IOM consultant, talked about peculiarities of API and PNR systems, the differences between the systems and their advantages, international cooperation, and partnership with air carriers in the field.

As underlined by Mr. Kei FUKAGAWA, Programme Officer of Migration Management Department, IOM Headquarters, Vienna: “Strengthening border management capacities of Member States is among IOM’s key priorities”.

Representatives of the Kyrgyz Republic attended the event online along with the experts of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), consultants of the World Health Organization (WHO), specialists of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and specialists of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). 

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For additional questions, please contact:

Dovlet Chariyev

IOM Communication Focal Point

E-mail: dchariyev@iom.int

Tel:+99312 488407