The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is co-hosting the Second Regional Conference on “Enhancing Cooperation on Border Management in ASEAN: Towards a More Interconnected and Safer ASEAN Community” on 25-26 April 2016, at the Vie Hotel, Bangkok.

          With enhanced connectivity within ASEAN and between ASEAN and its external parties, it is becoming increasingly important to have effective border management on a region-wide basis. Border management is thus one of the priority areas in the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, adopted by the ASEAN Leaders in November 2015, and a key cross-cutting issue under the ASEAN Political-Security Community Blueprint 2025.

          This Conference is a follow up to the First Regional Conference on “Enhancing Cooperation on Border Management in ASEAN: Preparing for a Safer and More Integrated Community” held on 24-25 August 2015 in Bangkok. It aims to expand recent discussions on ways to strengthen regional border management on land and at sea, and related cooperation mechanisms, facilitate sharing of expertise and information between ASEAN Member States, and identify practical measures to mitigate non-traditional security and transnational crime threats.

          High-level representatives from ASEAN Member States, dealing with public security, justice, trade and transportation, representatives of the ASEAN Secretariat, as well as international experts and academics are taking part in the conference. With the presence of highly experienced experts and representatives in the field, this Second Regional Conference is expected to offer relevant and practical recommendations which will be served as inputs for consideration by ASEAN as it seeks to enhance cooperation on border management and to contribute to a safer and better connected ASEAN Community.