In Amman, on November 18, ICMPD together with the Government of Jordan, the European Union (EU), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), launched the Integrated Border Management (IBM) project.
The event was attended by representatives from the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation (MoPIC), Border and Residency Department (BRD), General Intelligence (GID), Jordan Customs (JC), the EU Delegation, UN agencies, International organisations, EU Ambassadors, international partners and non-governmental organisations.
Funded under the EU Action ‘Support to Integrated Border Management in Jordan’, IBM aims at supporting Jordanian authorities to develop an integrated approach to border management, strengthen trade facilitation practices and measures, and enhance capacities to fight transnational crime.
The EU Ambassador to Jordan, H.E Ms Maria Hadjitheodosiou, remarked how "trade and security go hand in hand in sustaining the social fabric and stability of the country. This explains our full support to specific activities on facilitating trade procedures on border crossing points while at the same time fighting organised crime and smuggling."
Jordan plays a pivotal role in the Middle East, acting as a land bridge for passage both east to west and north to south. Jordan’s geographic location makes it primarily a transit point for commodities destined to neighbouring consuming markets through its critical crossing points such as the port of Aqaba, handling 78% of Jordan’s exports and 65% of the country’s imports and Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) handling 84% of the nation's air cargo and which remains among the few airports offering air connectivity between conflict zones and the rest of the world.
In the four years of implementation period, IBM will contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and more specifically will contribute to a significant reduction of the illicit financial and arms flows, strengthening the recovery and return of stolen assets and combat all forms of organized crime while strengthening the relevant national institutions capacity, at all levels to prevent violence and combat terrorism and crime.