An international conference concluded in Riyadh Saturday with a series of recommendations to enhance security on the Kingdom's borders. The conference, which was organized to mark the centennial of border security, was opened by Prince Ahmad Bin Abdul Aziz, Deputy Minister of Interior. In all, 83 work papers were presented. The conference called on Saudi Arabia to formulate its own border security strategy in association with regional and international powers to enhance and strengthen border surveillance. The conference urged the authorities to rehabilitate the country's border regions with sustainable development programs and make them attractive to citizens from other regions to settle there. It also called for equipping the coast guard with state-of-the-art technologies to help them effectively protect the country's marine borders and fight piracy and human trafficking. The conference suggested incorporating topics related to border security in school curricula from the elementary stage itself, development of border security institutes and training programs, and setting up of a research center to study regional and international border problems. Other recommendations of the conference include: l An international conference on border security should be held in conjunction with regional and global organizations to help Saudi officials keep abreast of current and future issues. l New legislation to ensure stricter penalties for piracy, drug and human trafficking and cross-border infiltration. l Saudi women should be empowered and encouraged to work in different sections of the Border Guard. Women should be offered suitable positions that conform with Shariah regulations and Saudi customs and traditions. l Concerned authorities were asked to cooperate with the International Maritime Organization to train the Somali coast guard and the Border Guard should instruct the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centers to exchange information with its counterparts in Djibouti and elsewhere. l A culture of volunteer work should be fostered and civil society organizations should be enhanced to support border guards in land and marine rescue missions. l Direct and indirect awareness programs should be intensified by launching campaigns on TV, radio and social networking sites. These campaigns should focus on heroic acts carried out by the Border Guard troops. l A national authority should be set up to take care of families of security personnel killed in action. __
