IOM is today hosting a three-day workshop in Ulan Bator for 40 Mongolian government officials to strengthen border protection and prevent irregular movements of people.

The workshop, attended by officials from the Mongolian Immigration Agency (MIA) and the General Authority for Border Protection (GABP), addresses the challenge of managing increased people flows across Mongolia's vast international borders.

Over the past few years, the number of incoming foreign nationals and outgoing Mongolian migrants using fraudulent documents has been on the rise. Mongolia is also a source country of victims of trafficking, often young women, who also use fraudulent travel documents.

The workshop, which will include sessions from international experts from the Philippines, Portugal and the United Kingdom, is part of IOM's two-year "Capacity Building for Migration Management in Mongolia" (CBMM Mongolia) project.

Funded by the IOM 1035 Facility, the project aims to contribute to the Government of Mongolia's efforts to enhance capacity to efficiently manage migration flows in a manner consistent with national priorities and international norms.

"The workshop will contribute to the Mongolian Government's efforts to strengthen the capacity of our officials to intercept, examine and analyze fraudulent documents," said MIA Director-General Dashdorj Murun.

"This (event) will directly assist our efforts to combat irregular migration and identity fraud, as well as prevent human trafficking and people smuggling across Mongolia's borders," said GAPB Passport Control Department Chief Colonel Munkhchuluun Dandar.

For more information please contact:

Kieran Best
IOM Beijing
Tel: +86 10 8532 5303, Ext. 203
E-mail: kgormanbest@iom.int