On 25-27 March 2015, the UNODC Terrorism Prevention Branch (UNODC/TPB) and the UNODC Regional Office for South Asia, together with the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) and in collaboration with the Government of Nepal, held a regional workshop in Kathmandu on strengthening international cooperation in criminal matters with a focus on terrorism cases.
The workshop aimed to improve the mutual understanding of participating regional officials about national legislative frameworks and mechanisms for mutual legal assistance and cooperation in the region. The workshop provided participants with a forum to discuss regional collaboration arrangements, including the mechanism of regional focal points on speedy and effective cooperation. It is expected that enhanced mutual understanding of national legislative frameworks in the region will help to overcome obstacles to effective extradition and cooperation that often cause procedural delays.
International experts from Australia, Jordan, the Untied States, the Commonwealth Secretariat and INTERPOL shared their experience, good practices and analyzed the challenges related to criminal cases with a focus on terrorism. Practitioners from the region participated in discussions and case studies to familiarize themselves with comparative national experiences. The face-to-face interaction with international experts and knowledge sharing were aimed at enhancing the understanding of regional officials of current international practices related to mutual legal assistance and cooperation in criminal cases, by providing them with international perspectives on these issues.
Workshop participants emphasized an urgent need for intelligence and other information exchange between all Member States of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and noted with appreciation UNODC readiness to bring together regional stakeholders and provide technical assistance support and organization of future similar training workshops.
The regional workshop was followed by a national workshop on strengthening national cooperation in criminal matters with a focus on terrorism cases, which was also held in Kathmandu from 30 to 31 March 2015. This workshop aimed to strengthen national cooperation between Nepalese law enforcement and criminal justice officers responsible for criminal investigations and prosecutions related to terrorism. The participants enhanced their understanding and practical knowledge of international practices and leant experiences of effective national cooperation in criminal matters and countering terrorism.
The workshops were conducted within the framework of the UNODC Global Project on Strengthening the Legal Regime against Terrorism with the financial support from the United States of America.