Regional Workshop on International Cooperation in Asset Recovery and Confiscation of Illicit Assets originating from Drug Production and Trafficking

Second Regional Workshop

September 2013, Islamabad - Senior officials from eight Regional Programme countries; i.e. Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, participated in the above mentioned event. The discussions at the Regional Workshop was focused on:

(i) global architecture for asset recovery - UNCAC and other international instruments, 

(ii) national experiences and best practices, 

(iii) confiscation Models - best practices on conviction and non-conviction-based confiscation, 

(iv) lessons learned and best practices, (v) UNODC and StAR tools for practitioners, 

(v) MLADrafting - interactive exercise. 

Outcomes of achieved by the workshop
a) Discussion and adoption of a set of recommendations/conclusions for promoting international/regional cooperation to better address Asset Recovery and Confiscation of Illicit Assets originating from Drug Production and trafficking
b) The 8th Regional FIU to FIU meeting was held successfully (including by discussing and adopting a set of recommendations for promoting regional cooperation to combat Money Laundering as well as future activities to be conducted under the CASH Initiative). 

Conclusion 

Countries of the region requested UNODC to initiate the development of technical assistance relating to illicit use of Hawala. Such assistance should cover its nature, supervisory/regulatory best practice, and the identification and disruption of Hawala-enabled money laundering and terrorist financing activity along with providing support to Financial Intelligence Units to develop training for private sector reporting institutions, such as banks, regarding AML compliance procedures including money laundering/terrorist financing typologies and indicators in order for these institutions to improve identification and reporting of suspicious transactions to their respective Financial Intelligence Unit. 

The participating countries acknowledged the need to improve their data collection and management systems regarding international cooperation and asset recovery request and requested the assistance of UNODC in drafting/sharing a model of bilateral/regional MoU on international cooperation in "Asset Recovery and Confiscation of Illicit Assets originating from Drug Production and Trafficking", to be signed between relevant Anti-Corruption Agencies.