A 3-day long 18th UIC World Security Congress jointly organised by the International Union of Railways (UIC), Paris and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) began here on Tuesday.

Union Minister of Railway Ashwini Vaishnaw, in his video message to the attendees, welcomed them to the land of world’s largest democracy and one of the largest railway networks in the world. He said the event was an excellent opportunity for the Railways to showcase how it could work together to create a safer and more secure Railway sector for the future.

A K Lahoti, CEO and chairman of the Railway Board, in his virtual address, said security of freight, passengers and assets of the Indian Railways has been done exceptionally by the Railway Protection Force which has a legacy as old as the Indian Railways. He highlighted how the UIC’s World Security Congress provides an invaluable platform for exchanging ideas and best practices, and for forging new partnerships

The proceedings started with the welcome address by Sanjay Chander, director general, Railway Protection Force, India who is also the chairman, Security Platform of the UIC. He mentioned the importance of the Congress and the relevance of theme – “Railway Security Strategy: Responses and Vision for Future”.

The World Security Congress is a globally recognised security platform that brings together representatives from member Railway organisations, delegates of UIC, policy makers, senior law-enforcement officials from State Polices and Railway Protection Force to discuss the current security challenges and deliberate on innovative solutions in the Railway Sector.

Francois Davenne, director general of the UIC, emphasised that ensuring the security of freight, passengers and railways assets requires innovative approaches which can foresee the future challenges and accordingly develop a robust security infrastructure.

Xavier Roche, Director of Security, French Railways (SNCF) who is also vice-chairman of the Security Platform, UIC stated he is looking forward to a conference filled with constructive discussions, exchange of ideas and best practices in the field of railway security.

The keynote speech of the day was delivered by the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Kailash Satyarthi who called upon the delegates to develop child-friendly policies and urged industry members to be more responsible and open to innovative partnerships.

Satyarthi stressed that in the fight against the heinous crime of child trafficking, intergovernmental agencies must work together in an accelerated manner rising above a business-as-usual agenda.

On the occasion, a special UIC edition of the RPF Journal was released. The special edition of the RPF Journal contains articles from leading professionals from Indian and International police and security organisations, senior officials with decades of experience in civil administration and industry experts.