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Once again OSCE engaged HJP Consulting for a workshop designed to promote the benefits and raise awareness for participating in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Public Key Directory (PKD). Dirk Hartmann, Senior Consultant at HJP Consulting, conducted the two-day seminar, which concluded this week in Bishkek. This event was organized by the OSCE Transnational Threats Department Action against Terrorism Unit (TNTD/ATU) in co-operation with the OSCE Centre in Bishkek.
The workshop gathered 16 Kyrgyz state representatives from police, border, intelligence, customs, state registration, and information technology agencies to learn how the ICAO PKD functions as a multilateral technical platform to validate the authenticity of electronic passports.
Ross Brown, Head of Politico-Military Unit of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, praised in his opening remarks the ongoing efforts of the Kyrgyz government to prepare to issue e-passports and encouraged Kyrgyz officials to become a participant in the ICAO PKD, an instrument that supports the global interoperability of electronic Passports and also a vital border control tool to verify passports and identities.
“This is the reason why the OSCE is very involved in promoting the PKD among the participating states and the Partners for Co-operation” added Paul Picard, Counter-Terrorism Officer in the OSCE Transnational Threats Department Action against Terrorism Unit.
Kyrgyzstan is the third OSCE participating states after Uzbekistan and Moldova to participate in a PKD workshop. Albania and Armenia are also scheduled to host this seminar in the near future.
The PKD Workshop built on previous OSCE assistance to Kyrgyzstan in the area of Travel Document Security. In the past four years, the TNTD/ATU organized three trainings to increase the operational awareness of border control authorities to detect forged documents. Currently, the TNTD/ATU is developing a project aiming to connect 15 border crossing points to INTERPOL databases to enhance identity verification at the country’s borders.