UN Office on Drugs and Crime jointly with OSCE and the UN Security Council Committee trained representatives of Kazakhstan law enforcement and supervisory agencies on the use of targeted financial sanctions pursuant to UN Security Council resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1988 (2011)

On 3 - 6 November 2020, UNODC’s Global Programme against Money Laundering (GPML) jointly with UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia, OSCE and the UN Security Council Committee under resolutions 1267 (1999), 1988 (2011) and 2253 (2015) concerning ISIL (Da’esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals, groups undertakings and entities conducted an online training course on applying targeted financial sanctions to terrorists and terrorist organizations, pursuant to UN Security Council resolutions 1267 (1999) and 1988 (2011).

Combating terrorism financing, disrupting the terrorist networks, recovering the proceeds of crime requires that the law enforcement and FIUs specialists possess appropriate competencies and skills. Central Asian countries, in particular, the Republic of Kazakhstan, confirmed their commitment to strengthen the capacities of the FIU and relevant authorities on countering the financing of terrorism issues.

Terrorists regularly adapt how and where they raise and move funds, so identifying, assessing, and understanding terrorist-financing (TF) risk is an essential part of dismantling and disrupting terrorist networks. In this regard, not only terrorists are improving their criminal activities, but also government agencies are responding.

As UNODC Regional Representative in Central Asia, Ms. Ashita Mittal stated “one of the UNODC primary objectives is to increase the capacity of the national law enforcement and financial intelligence units (FIU) to detect and combat the financing of terrorism, disrupt terrorist networks and recover the proceeds of crime. Financing of terrorism is a criminal business model that has its own financial flows. It generates significant criminal proceeds that are subsequently used for terrorist purposes. Government agencies should be able to use UNSCR 1267 and 1988 sanctions, to detect and disrupt illicit financial flows connected with terrorists and terrorist organizations.”

Mr. Talgat Ashetov, the expert of Monitoring Team, ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee and Resolution 1988 (2011) Committee, in his opening speech, said that the training course is focusing on the financial disruption of terrorist networks and on the listing of terrorists and terrorist organizations pursuant to relevant UN sanctions regimes. The courses help participants to understand how to improve inter-agency co-operation and disrupt terrorist financial networks. It highlights specific instruments and techniques that could significantly improve authorities’ ability to counter financing of terrorism.

UNODC and Interpol also provided expert support: Mr. Oliver Gadney – UNODC GPML Programme Officer, Mr. Aliaksandr Vadziany – UNODC Advisor on AML/CFT in Central Asia Region, and Mr. Dermot Braiders, Interpol Coordinator for countering the financing of terrorism.

As a result, the course contributed to the implementation of the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions 1267 and 1988, UNODC commitments and supported national efforts in Central Asia. The online course was organized for the participants from governmental agencies of the Republic of Kazakhstan as the General Prosecutor’s Office, the Academy of Law Enforcement Agencies under the Prosecutor General’s Office, Agency for Regulation and Development of the Financial Market, Financial Monitoring Committee of the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Internal Affairs and relevant law enforcement agencies.

The course aimed at enhancing the capacity of the Republic of Kazakhstan to combat the financing of terrorism and strengthen compliance with international standards in this area, in particular, UN Security Council Resolutions, the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF)’s standards, UN norms and OSCE commitments to promote human rights-based approaches in countering the financing of terrorism.

This course is implemented with the financial support of the Government of Norway.

 

For additional Information, please address:

Shakhnoza Zafari,

Communication and External Relations Officer

UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia (Tashkent)

Mobile: +998935547895

E-mail: shakhnoza.zafari[at]un.org