The Kingdom participates in the 18th conference of the Traveller Identity Program at ICAO

20 Sept 2023

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia participated in the 18th Conference of the Travel Document Program and the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) Biometrics Forum, held at the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) headquarters in Montreal, Canada from September 12th to 14th, 2023.

Dr. Badr bin Saleh Al-Saqari, the Permanent Representative of the Kingdom to ICAO, explained that the conference is a global event that contributes to sharing best global practices in implementing standard rules and recommendations in Annex 9 of the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation "Facilitation." It also showcases the latest technologies and industries in travel document creation, protection, recognition, passenger data management, and their pre-emptive use in security analysis. The conference also enhances international cooperation to improve the traveller’s journey and facilitate travel procedures. He emphasized that Saudi Arabia's participation in this global event is part of its efforts to support international endeavours aimed at providing an easy and flexible travel environment, as well as its continuous support for ICAO programs and initiatives, including facilitating air transport movement.

Dr. Al-Saqari emphasized that the presence of an accompanying exhibition to the conference reveals a wide range of innovations and modern technological services for security applications related to travel documents, issuance and authentication of health evidence, border inspection and automated control systems, and identity management.

Several entities in the Kingdom participated in the conference and forum, including the General Authority of Civil Aviation, the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA), the General Directorate of Passports, and the National Center for Traveller Security, in addition to the Saudi delegation office to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).