OSCE roundtable discussion addresses potential impact of vaccine travel documents on participating States

How vaccine “passports” could impact border security agencies’ operations in the OSCE area was the focus of an online roundtable discussion organized by the OSCE on 18 March 2021.

The roundtable discussion brought together more than 100 participants from OSCE’s Border Security and Management National Focal Point Network, along with relevant experts and representatives from OSCE participating States, and several international organizations, including the International Civil Aviation Organization, International Air Transport Authority, and the United Nations World Tourism Organization.

The discussion explored a number of vaccine passport initiatives in development across the OSCE region and allowed participants to exchange ideas, good practices and address challenges related to the passports, including in connection with re-opening international borders.

In her opening remarks, Alena Kupchyna, OSCE Co-ordinator of Activities to Address Transnational Threats, recognized countries’ efforts to re-open their borders and noted that the issue of vaccine “passports” is critically important to the resumption of international travel and trade. She underscored how the OSCE provides a unique and open forum to discuss such issues.