Press Releases

UNHCR trains Kyrgyz border officials on protection-sensitive border management

30 October, Issyk Kul – UNHCR organized a training for trainers of the Border Guard Service and other agencies on protection-sensitive entry systems in Issyk-Kul from 28 to 30 October.

The training was conducted by UNHCR together with the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic with financial support from the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration of the U.S. State Department.

“This is a very timely training, given the recent events in Europe,” said Mr. Adilet Januzakov, representative of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic at the opening of the training.
Participants of the training included representatives of the Training Centers of the Border Guard Service, Ministry of Labor, Migration and Youth, Ministry of Emergency Situations, Ministry of Internal Affairs, State Registration Service, General Staff of Armed Forces, State Committee for National Security, OSCE, IOM and UNHCR.

The training was designed to develop capacity of the border and entry officials, who will be the first contact to the persons arriving at the border, to ensure that refugee protection needs are duly addressed in situations of mixed migration and to reduce and prevent instances of refoulement.

“It is particularly important to remember that we are dealing with people who cross borders with many needs. It is encouraging to hear open discussions and exchanges between State agencies on the protection of those in need in the mixed migration context,” UNHCR’s Representative Ms. Maki Shinohara said.

Participants of the training discussed legal instruments for the protection of refugees in the context of mixed migration, the role and responsibilities of different actors, importance of providing timely protection to refugees, while ensuring national security. A Training Manual developed to assist border and entry officials to ensure that refugee protection needs are duly addressed in situations of mixed migration was presented also at the training.