A regional workshop on the preventive obligations and criminalization of offences regarding foreign terrorist fighters prescribed by United Nations Security Council resolution 2178 (2014) was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan, on 20 and 21 August 2015. The event was organised by the UNODC Terrorism Prevention Branch (UNODC/TPB), in collaboration with the Transnational Threats Department of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and with the support from the UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia.
The objective of the workshop was to enhance the capacity of national criminal justice institutions of Central Asian countries through in-depth discussion of the practical aspects related to the effective investigation, prosecution and adjudication of terrorism related offences, particularly those concerning foreign terrorist fighters. The participants reviewed the obligations to prevent and suppress the recruiting, organizing, transporting or equipping of individuals who travel for the purpose of the perpetration, planning, preparation of or participation in terrorist activities. They also highlighted ways to improve inter-governmental cooperation at the regional level to prevent and prosecute foreign terrorist fighters related offences.
Experts from the Prosecutor's Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the United Kingdom Police National Legal Database Office, as well as from the OSCE, Shanghai Cooperation Organization and several United Nations agencies shared experiences and practices in preventing individuals from travelling to conflict areas and analyzed the challenges related to the prosecution of returnees. National practitioners from law enforcement agencies and national security institutions in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan participated in the discussions. During the sessions, UNODC/TPB provided an overview of the international legal requirements related to the phenomenon of foreign terrorist fighters, particularly United Nations Security Council resolution 2178 (2014), and presented measures and mechanisms to tackle the problem.
Workshop participants emphasized the need for further training workshops and noted with appreciation UNODC's readiness to provide technical support and facilitate regional and international cooperation.