Holistic Traveller Identification Management Highlighted at the 12th ICAO TRIP Symposium

Reconciling aviation security with improved passenger experience is just one issue ICAO’s 2016 Traveller Identification Programme (TRIP) Symposium addressed throughout the three-day event that was held at ICAO HQ this week. More than 550 participants attended the 12th annual TRIP Symposium and exhibition which also focused on the ICAO TRIP Strategy, Machine Readable Travel Document (MRTD) standards and best practices, document security, identification management and related border security issues.

The ICAO TRIP Symposium assists Member States in implementing ICAO MRTD specifications and related ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs). The Symposium specifically addresses the needs of States in further enhancing the integrity of the passport issuance process, and ensuring robust identification management in order to maximize border security and facilitation benefits.

The ICAO TRIP Symposium focuses on the ICAO Traveller Identification Programme (ICAO TRIP) Strategy which was approved by the Council and endorsed by the ICAO Assembly in October 2013. The Strategy, a response to the global driving forces and needs of Member States, provides a framework for achieving the maximum benefits of travel documents in the future. It brings together the elements of identification management and builds on ICAO leadership on matters related to MRTDs.

The core of the ICAO TRIP Strategy recognizes a need for a holistic and integrated approach to traveller identification management, an approach that links the five elements of traveller identification and border controls into a coherent framework: evidence of identification, document issuance and control, MRTDs, inspection systems and tools, and interoperable applications.

ICAO firmly recognizes the benefits of traveller identification management in aviation security and facilitation. ICAO’s mission is to contribute to the capacity of Member States to uniquely identify individuals by providing tools and knowledge to establish and confirm the identity of travellers.

An industry exhibition complemented the Symposium with a broad range of products and services related to MRTDs, biometric identification, travel document security applications and border inspection systems. Symposium participants interacted with ICAO industry partners and experts to discuss the latest available traveller identification technologies. During the event, foundations of holistic traveller identification management were presented and discussed. There was also a demonstration of solutions for Emergency Travel Documents, In-country and Overseas ePassport Issuance, Secure Electronic Travel Authorization (Secure ETA) and eVisa. WorldReach’s VisaReach product line, specifically Secure ETA/eVisa, are also tools to establish and confirm the identity of travellers through the use of remote biometric capture in the pre-screening cycle of the travel continuum, in keeping with the ICAO TRIP Strategy.

The TRIP Symposium on MRTDs and traveller identification management takes place from 15 to 17 November 2016. The Symposium speakers and facilitators included top experts in the field, policy makers and senior managers, practitioners and researchers, many from the relevant working groups of ICAO, ISO and other international organizations.

The symposium was attended by Ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs, embassy consular staff, international organizations, donor agencies, private companies offering technologies and products for effective international identity and border management. Airlines and airport authorities, security and facilitation consultants, academia and think tanks also attended the annual event.