On 8 May the World Customs Organisation (WCO) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the United Nations (UN) Migration Agency, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost cooperation on issues of mutual interest, in particular those related to effective, efficient and responsible border management.
This MoU offers the necessary framework for intensified cooperation between the two organisations. It opens increased joint programming opportunities, notably in the field of coordinated/integrated border management, as well as in the field of border management and development and trade.
The MoU brings together two agencies with different but complementary mandates: While WCO’s work is concerned with the management of the crossing of borders by goods and passengers, IOM focuses its work on the well-being of migrants and the management of border crossings by persons.
The intensified cooperation between WCO and IOM strengthens the support the two organisations can give to member states to further improve and modernise their border management, facilitate regular border crossings and exchange of goods and services across borders, support development, and better protect migrants.
The agreement will enhance the collaboration between WCO and IOM through coordinated activities and elimination of unnecessary duplication, increased consultations, exchanges of information and documents for effective cooperation and liaison between both organisations’ secretariats or regional offices and country missions.
The MoU encourages both organisations, within their respective complementary mandates, to support their member states to strengthen international and intra-state cooperation between their national border agencies, and exchange information in thematic areas such as: (i) border management; (ii) sharing of best practices in coordinated border management policies, regulatory frameworks and administrative and institutional structures; (iii) capacity building efforts; (iv) responsible data collection and information exchange with a focus on risk analysis and risk management; (v) and joint research.