Tbilisi – With the support of the European Union, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Mission to Georgia donated EUR 70,000 worth of equipment procured under its two EU-funded projects - Sustaining Border Management and Migration Governance in Georgia (SBMMG) and EU4 Security, Accountability and Fight against Crime in Georgia (SAFE) SAFE IBM to help Border Police of Georgia strengthen its capacities in e-learning and improve outreach to the public and border communities.

The donated equipment includes an advanced personal computer workstation, laptop, camcorder, and filming drone that will strengthen Border Police’s capacities in producing proper quality communication materials to ensure improved outreach to the public and border communities. IOM has also procured tower climbing equipment which will be used by the trained specialists for the maintenance of radiocommunication systems installed on the towers along the land borders.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Georgia hosted a ceremony, displaying the abovementioned equipment, in the Headquarters of Border Police on 14 December. The ceremony was attended by Mr. Nikoloz Sharadze, Head of Border Police, Ms. Ekaterine Machavariani, Director of International Relations Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Mr. Catalin Gherman, Deputy Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation to Georgia and Ms. Sanja Celebic Lukovac, IOM Georgia Chief of Mission.

Within the SAFE IBM project, Border Police are also receiving 60 all-in-one PC sets together with relevant servers and uninterruptible power supply (UPS) devices. These computers will be distributed among the border sectors, where the border guards will have an opportunity to attend online training and obtain knowledge on a variety of topics. The required study modules as agreed with the Border police will be developed in the frames of the project, in close coordination with the MIA Academy in 2022.