UNODC's Terrorism Prevention Branch, in close coordination with UNODC's Cybercrime and Anti-Money Laundering sections, delivered a regional training for South Asia on effective prevention of and intervention on the use of the Internet and social media by young adults for terrorist recruitment and propaganda in Malé on 18-20 June 2019.
The event brought together representatives from South Asian countries, namely Bangladesh, Maldives and Sri Lanka, and was funded by the Government of Japan.
During the workshop, participants addressed several topics including the misuse of cyberspace for terrorist purposes by young adults; preventive criminal justice approaches; use of open source software and forensic browsers; and the collection of digital evidence. During the course of the event, special attention was paid to tools and techniques for investigating social network profiles and data, while highlighting the importance of preservation and retention of evidence. The workshop included practical hands-on exercises including those pertaining to voluntary disclosure, emergency and mutual legal assistance requests.
Participants were encouraged to share national experiences, challenges and good practices in addressing the misuse of the Internet for terrorist purposes, with a view to, inter alia, promote effective networks and partnerships between regional criminal justice authorities.
Mr. Ali Zahir, Chief of Staff of the President's Office of the Republic of Maldives, opened the event, while Her Excellency Ms. Keiko Yanai, Ambassador of Japan to the Maldives, provided closing remarks.