17 February 2022, Baghdad – The United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Human Rights Office of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) / Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) hosted a National Training for Iraq on Human Rights at International Borders in the Context of Counter-Terrorism. The three-day training was hosted by Iraq’s Al-Nahrain Centre for Strategic Studies in Baghdad from15 to 17 February 2022.

This training, organized in the framework of partnership cooperation between UNOCT, IOM and OHCHR, gathered 20 officials from national entities, including the Ministry of Interior, the Border Points Commission, the Customs and Civil Aviation Authorities, the Ministry of Transport, and the Ministry of Justice.

The objective of the training was to enhance the capacities of national officials to better understand and implement applicable international law instruments, protocols and guidelines to ensure the protection of human rights while preventing cross-border movement of suspected or known terrorists and foreign terrorist fighters, as well as ensure safe orderly and regular migration.

IOM welcomed the added value of UN agencies with complementary mandates and expertise joining hands to deliver this effort of cross-cutting importance to all actors concerned with human rights and borders.

Recalling that all counter-terrorism measures must be compliant with international law, including international human rights law, international humanitarian law and international refugee law, UNOCT highlighted the importance of specialized and continued training on human rights-based and gender-responsive procedures at international borders.

“International borders carry unique set of risks for vulnerable persons, particularly migrants”, said OHCHR. “This training highlighted the crucial role of Iraqi border officials in protecting the rights of those most vulnerable and provided practical guidance on the operationalization of core human rights principles concerning non-discrimination, assistance and protection from harm.”

Participants indicated the need for additional training on human rights at borders, and agreed on a set of recommendations for follow-up action and further engagement to bring about institutional change.

IOM in Iraq and more broadly in the MENA region enjoys comprehensive engagement with governments in the field of immigration and border management. The programming covers capacity-development in search and rescue, humanitarian border management, integrated border management, counter-migrant-smuggling, and many others: anchored in partnerships and complementarity with regional and international organizations. A growing number of governments in the region are exchanging expertise and experience with IOM toward enhanced rights-based migration management.

Through its Border Security and Management (BSM) Global Programme, the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) supports Member States in adopting and implementing comprehensive border management strategies and action plans which are inclusive of counter-terrorism elements and in full compliance with international law and human rights. The programmatic support includes specialized and tailored technical assistance and capacity-building activities on various aspects of border management and counter-terrorism.

The UNAMI Human Rights Office, which also represents the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Iraq, pursues an overall strategy to ensure the protection and promotion of human rights throughout the country. The work is guided by the principle that “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights”. In accordance with the mandate provided by UN Security Council Resolution 2576 (2021) UNAMI Human Rights Office (the Office) works to support the efforts of the Government of Iraq to promote accountability, protect human rights and strengthen the rule of law. 

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