International Organization Organization for Security for Migration and Co-operation in Europe OSCE / IOM Assessment Report: NNaattiioonnaall AAccttiioonn PPllaann ffoorr tthhee IInnttrroodduuccttiioonn ooff aann eePPaassssppoorrtt && IIDD CCaarrdd iinn tthhee RReeppuubblliicc ooff AArrmmeenniiaa Delivered within the framework of IOM‟s project: “Support to the Armenian Government in Introduction of Identity and Travel Documents with Biometrical Parameters” International Organization for IOM Mission in Armenia: OSCE Secretariat Action against Migration Headquarters: Terrorism Unit UN House 14 Petros Adamian Street, 17 Route des Morillons CH-1211 1st floor Yerevan o010 Armenia Wallnerstrasse 6 1010 Vienna Geneva 19 Switzerland Austria Tel.: (+374 10) 58 56 92 58 37 86 Tel.: (+41 22) 717 9111 Fax: (+41 22) Fax: (+374 10) 54 33 65 E-mail: Tel.: (+43 1) 514 36 6702 Fax: (+43 798 6150 Email: [email protected] [email protected] 1) 514 36 6887 [email protected] http://www.iom.int http://www.iom.int/armenia http://www.osce.org 1 Contents List of Acronyms used .................................................................................................. 4 I. Executive Summary .................................................................................................. 6 II. Background .............................................................................................................. 8 III. Introduction to eArmenia .................................................................................... 12 IV. Document Upgrade Programmes ........................................................................ 13 V. Recommendations .................................................................................................. 15 VI. Next Steps for the Needs Assessment Report ..................................................... 19 VII. Annexes ................................................................................................................ 20 Annex 1—Draft Terms of Reference for ePassport ................................................. 22 Annex 2. IOM Project Document “Support to the Armenian Government in Introduction of Identity and Travel Documents with Biometrical Parameters Annex 3. IOM Needs Assessment Report on Migration Management in Armenia Annex 4. President’s Concept Paper,15 March 2008 Annex 5. Prime Minister’s Decision, June 2009 Annex 6. Draft Law on the Passport of the Citizen of the RA Annex 7. Draft Law on the ID Cards Annex 8. International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) Paper Annex 9. Draft Law on Protection of Personal Data Annex 10. Draft Law on Public Services Code (in Armenian only) Annex 11. Draft Amendment to the RA Law on State Register of Population (in Armenian only) Annex 12. Draft Amendment to the RA Law on Civil Status Acts (in Armenian only) Annex 13. Draft Amendment to the RA Law on Citizenship (in Armenian only) Annex 14. Draft Amendment to the RA Code of Administrative Violations (in Armenian only) Annex 15. Draft Amendment to the RA Law on State Border (in Armenian only) Annex 16. Draft Amendment to the RA Law on the Border Guards Troops (in Armenian only) Annex 17. Armenia eGovernment / eSociety Roadmap: 2009 to 2014 Annex 18. Agenda of the Needs Assessment Mission. Annex 19. Brief on Conception of ID cards in Armenia from the Ministry of Economy and the Central Bank. Annex 20. Brief Description of IOM’s and OSCE’s experiences in similar activities. Annex 21. Revised Notional Timeline. 2 3 List of Acronyms used ASF/SLTD Interpol‟s Automated Search Facility for Stolen / Lost Travel Documents ATU OSCE Action against Terrorism Unit CC EAL Common Criteria Evaluation Assurance Level COTS Commercial off-the-Shelf items CSCA Country Signing Certification Authority DS Document Signer EAC Encrypted access copntrol eMRP Electronic Machine Readable Passport ENP European Neighbourhood Policy EU European Union FBI United States Federal Bureau of Investigation FIND Fixed Interpol Network Database IC Integrated Circuit ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization ICT Information and communication technology IEC International Electro-technical Commission IOM International Organization for Migration ISO International Organization for Standardization JPEG Joint Photographic Experts Group, method of compression for photographic images MIND Mobile Interpol Network Database MoFA Republic of Armenia Ministry of Foreign Affairs MRTD Machine Readable Travel Document MRZ machine-readable zone NSS Republic of Armenia National Security Service OCR Optical Character Recognition OJSC Open Joint Stock Company OSCE Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe PDIU Project Development and Implementation Unit, IOM Mission in Armenia PIU Project Implementation Unit PKD Public Key Directory PKI Public Key Infrastructure QA Quality assurance RA Republic of Armenia SMT Scars, marks and tattoos 4 TCC IOM Technical Cooperation Centre for Europe and Central Asia TCM IOM Division for Technical Cooperation on Migration ToR Terms of References UN United Nations US United States UV Ultraviolet VIZ visual inspection zone WSQ Wavelet Scalar Quantization 5 I. Executive Summary On 15-19 June 2009, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) co-organized a needs assessment mission in the Republic of Armenia with the goal of providing recommendations and guidance for the development of a National Action Plan for the introduction of an electronic passport and an ID card. The Assessment was conducted upon the request of the Government of Armenia within the framework of the project “Support to the Armenian Government in Introduction of Identity and Travel Documents with Biometrical Parameters,” which has been developed by IOM on the request of the Armenian Police. The Republic of Armenia has developed very ambitious plans to introduce both a new electronic Machine Readable Passport (eMRP or ePassport) and an electronically enabled identity (ID) card, both of which are envisaged to be issued on a pilot basis in January 2010. The genesis for this concept originates in a March 2008 Order from the President of the Republic of Armenia “On the Conception for Migration System of the Republic of Armenia and for Introduction of the System of Electronic Passports and Identification Cards with Biometric Parameters in the Republic of Armenia.” This Presidential Order calls for the introduction of highly secure travel and identity documents, in line with international standards, as mandated by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373, which decided that all States shall “Prevent the movement of terrorists or terrorist groups by effective border controls and controls on issuance of identity papers and travel documents, and through measures for preventing counterfeiting, forgery or fraudulent use of identity papers and travel documents.” Armenia‟s decision to upgrade its passport and to introduce a new ID card, and to engage IOM with these plans, stems in part from the country‟s dialogue and relationship with the European Union (EU). In particular the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) Action Plan for Armenia sets the facilitation of movement and introduction of electronic documents with biometric identifiers as an important milestone for Armenia. The ENP specifically notes that Armenia and the EU “Co-operate to improve security of travel documents and visa in conformity with international standards, including the introduction of biometric features in passports.” The EU‟s newly forged Eastern Partnership has reinforced the impetus for Armenia to upgrade its passport. To assess Armenia‟s needs and requirements, the OSCE/IOM needs assessment mission assembled a team of experts, including a lead international consultant with extensive international experience. The team spent a very intensive in-country period of time meeting with a substantive cross-section of the Government‟s subject matter professionals, listening to and questioning numerous presentations, visiting border inspection and headquarters, personalization facilities, reviewing planning documents, and interacting as a cohesive body to assess and formulate recommended conclusions. 6 This report summarizes the work of these experts and serves as a National Action Plan for the Government of Armenia to use when introducing new documents. The 43 recommendations compiled in this report cut across the following areas of focus: Technical; Policy and Procedure; ID Card; Passport; Overlapping With Both ID Card and Passport; and, Future. The joint recommendations of this report are based on the relevant Parts and Volumes of the International Civil Aviation Organization‟s (ICAO) Doc 9303 on Machine Readable Travel Documents. ICAO‟s mandate and leadership role in the development of standards and specifications for passports and other travel documents stems from the Convention on Civil Aviation which includes provisions for clearance of persons through border controls. The recommendations also incorporate the regional standards and specifications developed by the EU for use of fingerprints in electronic travel documents. The discussions with the interlocutors in Armenia from 15-19 June determined that the centres of gravity for the introduction of new identity and travel documents lie with the Police, Ministry of Economy and the Central Bank. At present, the Police are the issuing authority for the passport and also have the purview over enrolment at 61 Police stations nationwide and adjudication based on the Population Register, which it maintains. Both the upgraded passport (to be issued as an ePassport) and the completely new ID card will be centrally personalized by the Police in Yerevan. Enrolment for the ID card will also take place at the 61 Police stations and will also be adjudicated on the basis of the Population Register. The Central Bank and the Ministry of Economy are the driving forces behind Armenia‟s overall strategic eGovernance plans, of which the introduction of the new ID card is a vital component. Since the ID card is foreseen to have multiple domestic functions for purposes related to health care, taxation, banking, etc., its introduction is a strategic vehicle to bring eGovernance functions to the citizenry. To co-ordinate the introduction of the ID card, an eGovernance Infrastructure Implementation Unit (or Project Implementation Unit/PIU) has been created under the auspices of the Ministry of Economy as an open joint stock company. Due to its expertise in the area of Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), which is needed to establish secure validation of electronically enabled forms of identification, co-operation between the PIU and the Police is absolutely vital for the smooth introduction of both the ePassport and the electronic ID card. Armenian plans for its new ePassport envisage that the chip will store the facial image and four fingerprints as biometric identifiers. Whereas previously the passport served as both a travel document and an internal form of identification these functions will now be split between the new ePassport and the ID card, which at present is not foreseen to be used for travel and its chip will not contain a facial image or fingerprints of the bearer. Instead the ID card‟s main purposes will be to perform domestic functions related to health care, taxation and banking. For these purposes, the ID card will need to have an electronic data storage medium and, like the passport, make use of PKI, which will allow the Country Signing Certification Authority (CSCA) to validate the document and, as a 7 corollary, the authenticity of its bearer. Both upgrade projects have identity data management ramifications for the Population Register and the Civil Register, as well as border control, overall interoperability and security. II. Background The project “Support to the Armenian Government in Introduction of Identity and Travel Documents with Biometrical Parameters” (hereafter Project) responds to a request made in 2008 by Armenia to IOM to provide relevant technical assistance. The Project has set overarching objective of enhancing migration management capabilities and capacities of Armenia, in particular related to biometric technology and information. The expected outputs of the Project are: (a) raised awareness of the key government officials in the field of electronic Machine Readable Travel Documents (MRTDs) with biometric identifiers; and (b) development of a National Action Plan to introduce an ePassport and an ID card in the Republic of Armenia. The Project has as its premise that the introduction of an ePassport with biometric identifiers will facilitate the freedom of movement of Armenian citizens and enhance the country‟s migration management capacities. To set the foundation in the field of migration management, the IOM produced a comprehensive Needs Assessment Report on Migration Management in Armenia in 2008. The Project also aims at providing detailed analyses of the existing policies, procedures and practices, infrastructure, technical and human resource capacity, and equipment pertaining to travel documents development, issuance and usage in the Republic of Armenia. Armenia‟s decision to implement an ePassport and to introduce a new ID card stems in part from its dialogue and relationship with the EU, in particular its Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). The ENP Action Plan for Armenia sets the facilitation of movement and introduction of electronic documents with biometric identifiers as an important milestone for Armenia. The ENP specifically notes that Armenia and the EU “Co-operate to improve security of travel documents and visa in conformity with international standards, including the introduction of biometric features in passports.”1 The EU‟s newly forged Eastern Partnership has reinforced the impetus for Armenia to upgrade its passport. Furthermore, the Project is in support of the Presidential Decree of the Republic of Armenia # NK-53-A dated March 15, 2008 “On the Conception for Migration System of the Republic of Armenia and for Introduction of the System of Electronic Passports and Identification Cards with Biometric Parameters in the Republic of Armenia.” The President‟s decree served as a basis for the development of IOM‟s Project and was drafted by an Inter-Agency Task Force of the Government‟s subject matter professionals and endorsed by the President of the Republic of Armenia. The Task Force is comprised 1 “European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) Action Plan for Armenia.” Section 4. Cooperation in the Field of Justice, Freedom and Security. Provision 4.5.2, under the point “Facilitate the movement of persons.” The 5-year ENP was adopted in Brussels at the EU-Armenia Cooperation Council on November 14, 2006. 8 of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Police, Ministry of Territorial Administration‟s Migration Agency, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Finance, National Security Service and the President‟s Office. To achieve its objectives and purposes, the Project delivered expert advice and training activities to provide relevant Government personnel with information on biometrics that would enhance technical understanding. Ultimately the recommendations made in this proposed Action Plan can serve as a roadmap for the introduction of an ePassport and ID card in Armenia. The Assessment Team recommends that the key findings and recommendations of the herein proposed Action Plan, including the annexed Terms of Reference, shall be presented at a discussion gathering for all stakeholders from the Armenian side, as well as IOM and OSCE representatives. Furthermore, a study tour to an EU Member State or other European country with a comparable context is scheduled for five senior Government staff who have direct responsibilities in the implementation and technical management of the new ePassport system. The study trip to a country which has experience with the introduction of ePassports will help to ensure direct carry-on and application of information, experiences and lessons-learnt from best-practice systems to Armenia. Needs Assessment The Assessment Team was comprised of an independent lead expert, Mr. Barry Kefauver. Mr. Kefauver was accompanied and supported by ATU experts Mr. Christopher Hornek and Mr. Samuel Reid, IOM Technical Cooperation official Ms. Kristiina Lilleorg, as well as IOM Yerevan representatives Ms. Ilona Ter-Minasyan and Ms. Kristina Galstyan. The in-country discussions with the interlocutors in Armenia determined that the centres of gravity for the introduction of an ePassport and ID card lie with the Police, Ministry of Economy and the Central Bank, as well as the newly established eGovernance Infrastructure Implementation Unit, a Project Implementation Unit (PIU) within the Armenia‟s eGovernance Strategy. The Assessment Team carried out extensive consultations with the representatives of all pertinent Government agencies and international organizations. Meetings were held with the following entities: Police Ministry of Economy Central Bank E-Governance Infrastructure Implementation Unit OJSC (or PIU) Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) National Security Service (NSS) NSS Border Guard troops Administration of the President of the Republic Office of the Prime Minister / Cabinet Administration Information Technologies Support Council at the Government 9 INTERPOL Armenia National Central Bureau Civil Aviation General Department Ministry of Justice (Civil Status Acts Registration Agency) State Revenue Committee Ministry of Territorial Administration National Assembly Standing Committee on Defense, National Security and Internal Affairs OSCE Office in Yerevan European Commission Delegation to Armenia Embassy of Bulgaria Embassy of the United States Field visit to Yerevan Zvartnots Airport for a review of customs and passport controls The Assessment Team also consulted and made use of relevant legislation (both draft and ratified). The following represents the key pieces of legislation that the National Action Plan draws upon: Presidential Decree of the Republic of Armenia # NK-53-A, 15 March 2008, “On the Conception for Migration System of the Republic of Armenia and for Introduction of the System of Electronic Passports and Identification Cards with Biometric Parameters in the Republic of Armenia” Decision of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia # 501A, 18 June 2009, “On Approval of the Timeline of the Arrangements for Introduction of the System of Electronic Passports and Identity Cards Containing Biometric Parameters” Draft Law on Passport of the Citizen of Armenia Draft Law on Identification Cards Official letter by the Civil Aviation General Department on PKI to the Prime Minister of Armenia of November 6, 2008 Draft Law on eGovernance Draft Law on Protection of Personal Data Draft Law on Public Services Code Draft Amendment to the Republic of Armenia Law on State Register of Population Draft Amendment to the Republic of Armenia Law on Civil Status Acts Draft Amendment to the Republic of Armenia Law on Citizenship Draft Amendment to the Republic of Armenia Code of Administrative Violations Draft Amendment to the Republic of Armenia Law on State Border Draft Amendment to the Republic of Armenia Law on the Border Guards Troops Project Executing Agency – IOM The International Organization for Migration (IOM)2 is an inter-governmental organization with 127 Member States and 17 Observer States (July 2009). Established in 1951, IOM has become the principal inter-governmental organization in the field of 2 For more information about IOM, please visit the following web-page: http://www.iom.int. 10