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World Border Security Congress has announced its provisional programme for Athens 2020

The conference committee have announced the provisional programme for World Border Security Congress to be held at Divani Caravel Hotel in Athens from the 31st March – 2nd April 2020.

The Congress is the premier multi-jurisdictional transnational platform where the border protection, management and security industry policy-makers and practitioners convene annually to discuss the international challenges faced in protecting borders.

This years programme theme is ‘Continuing the Discussion and Dialogue for Building Trust and Co-operation’ and will discuss the latest challenges and issues facing the inter-national borders community.

Topics include:

The Latest Threats and Challenges at the Border
With the final collapse of the so-called IS Caliphate, returning foreign fighters are a particular chal-lenge for the next few years, but mass migration, transiting terrorists, cross border organised crime, human trafficking, small arms, weapons of mass destruction and drug smuggling will continue to be areas of major concern for the global border community.

Continuing efforts against foreign terrorist fighters, irregular migration and human trafficking
How we deal with foreign terrorist fighters, irregular migration and human trafficking are inextricably linked. Because it is through clandestine trafficking networks that foreign fighters will attempt to re-turn to their countries of origin or to other destinations. They may also attempt to return through con-ventional travel networks by the use of forged or lookalike documents. Or they may hide among genu-ine refugees as we have already seen. These experienced fighters pose a real threat to their communi-ties. API and PNR are part of the answer but what else can we do to meet this challenge?

Capacity Building and Training in Border and Migration Management
Enhancing capacity and migration management through by improved technical support and knowledge; administrative ability; promoting mechanisms for co-operation and the exchange of exper-tise between migration management personnel and the strengthening the monitoring and oversight.

Securing the Littoral Border: Understanding Threats and Challenges for Maritime Borders
Our coastline borders present huge security challenges for the border community. With dramatically varied terrain from mountains and cliffs to beaches and swamps. Tens of thousands of kilometers of extended coastline with multiple lonely bays, Inlets, estuaries and Islands that can all be exploited by terrorists, illegal migrants, drug and arms smugglers, human traffickers and organised crime. How do we secure this complex and challenging environment?

Pre-Travel Risk Assessment and Trusted Travellers
With a plethora of trusted traveller programs around the world, how can we make legitimate travel more seamless? Is it possible to provide better connectivity between programs? How can API / PNR play a role on pre-travel risk assessment.

The developing role of Biometrics in identity management & document fraud
Formal identification is a prerequisite for effective border control. Document fraud has become an enabler of terrorism and organised crime and is linked to the trafficking of human beings and migrant smuggling. Facial recognition, fingerprinting and iris scan are now maturing technologies with increas-ing accuracy and performance. What is the developing and future role of biometrics in managing iden-tity and our borders, and how are associated technologies best utilised to bridge the gap and under-documentation, so widespread in the developing world?

Smuggling & Trade in Illicit Goods, Antiquities and Endangered Species
The global trade in endangered species, over 1.5million transactions per year, will drive some species to extinction if the trade is not stopped. The cultural damage inflicted by the global trade in antiquities, valued over $20 billion, cannot be quantified but is all too easily understood. So, what can the border community do to stem the flow and illegal trade of illicit goods, antiquities and endangered species?

The Future Trends and Approach to Alternatives for Securing Borders
Brexit, the US/Mexico Wall, Greek/Turkish borders are forcing the debate about future border devel-opments. But could any or all of them really supply the blueprint for the future of borders for land, sea and air? Has Integrated Border Management (IBM) proven successful? What’s the latest thought lead-ership in enhancing border protection and management to counter the ever-changing challenges?

Speakers include:
Olivier Onidi, Deputy Director General of the Directorate-General
Migration and Home Affairs, European Commission
Valdecy Urquiza, Assistant Director, INTERPOL, France
Rimutis Klevecka, Ambassador at large, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lithuania
Peter Nilsson IPMc, Police Commissioner and Head of AIRPOL
Tasiu Sanusi Saulawa, Deputy Superintendent, Nigeria customs service
Tatiana Kotlyarenko, Adviser on Anti-Trafficking Issues, Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, Poland
Florian G. FORSTER, Head, Immigration and Border Management (IBM), International Organization for Migration (IOM), Switzerland
Wayne Salzgaber, Director, INTERPOL Washington
Sophie Hoffmann, Deputy Program Manager – Immigration and Border Management Unit (IBM), Inter-national Organization for Migrations (IOM), Niger
Capt Junaid Abdullahi, Exeuctive Secretary, Border Communities Development Agency, Nigeria
Gerald Tatzgern, Head of Central Service Combating Human Smuggling and Human Trafficking, Ministry of Interior, Criminal Intelligence Service, Austria
Senior Chief Inspector Hans-Peter Wagner, Project Manager for International Cooperation, Federal Police, Germany
Heiko Werner, Head of Security Group, Federal Office for Migration and Refugees, Germany
Helio Freixial, Smart Borders (EES – ETIAS) national project manager, SEF – Portuguese Immigration and Borders Service, Portugal
Iryna Sushko, Executive director, Europe without barriers, Ukraine
Mile Milenkoski, Senior Counsellor, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic Of North Macedonia
James Garcia, Assistant Director – Global Targeting Advisory Division, U.S. Customs and Border Protec-tion, U.S.A.
Rear Admiral M Ashraful Haq, NUP, ndc, afwc, psc, Director General, Bangladesh Coast Guard Force
Manoj Kumar, Second in Command, Border Security Force, India
Rein Süld, Program Manager, Information Technology & Development Center Estonian Ministry of the Interior (SMIT), Estonia
Radu Pop, Head of Sales, Infrastructure and Frontier Security Solutions, Airbus Defence and Space
Christopher Gilliland, Director, Innovative Travel Solutions, Vancouver Airport Authority
Nicolas Phan, Market Manager Border Control and Passenger Flow Facilitation, IDEMIA
Orfeas-Konstantinos Sotiriou, Expert in Antiquities Smuggling Phenomenon/Cultural Heritage Protec-tion and National School for Public Administration and Local Government
Peter Campbell, Assistant Director: British School at Rome
Vassiliki Simi, MSc of Laws, International Law and Legal Studies, National School for Public Administra-tion and Local Government
Katerina Koukouvaou, Archaeologist, Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports, General Directorate of Antiquities and Cultural Heritage, Directorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities
Angeliki Aloupi, Director of the Committee of Prevention and Management of Social Exclusion – Hel-lenic Community for Behavior Analysis
Inesa Nicolaescu, Associate Border Security Officer, OSCE
Senior Representative, Center for Security Studies (KEMEA), Greece
Andy Palmer, Border Security Manager, Gatwick Airport
Senior Representative, EUROPOL
Senior Representative, Tajik Border Troops, Tajikistan
Dr Olomu Babatunde Olukayode, Deputy Comptroller of Customs, Nigeria Customs Service

The 2020 World Border Security Congress is supported by the Ministry of Civil Protection of Greece, Center for Security Studies (KEMEA), Organization for Security & Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), African Union ECOSOCC (AU-ECOSOCC), European Association of Airport & Seaport Police, International Security Industry Organisation, National Security & Resilience Consortium and International Association of CIP Professionals.

Please add World Border Security Congress to your events calendar. For more details about the event visit www.world-border-congress.com