Building asset management capacities and cooperation in West and Central Asia
Effective asset management, transparency and accountability in line with international best practices is critical for building trust in public institutions and reinforcing the rule of law. Asset management does, however, represent a big challenge for countries all around the world and West and Central Asia is no exception. Knowledge and capacity building in aligning policies and national legislation with international standards on custody charge and management of proceeds of crime, operating and maintaining relevant databases and inter-agency coordination and cooperation on asset-related investigation remain crucial areas for support.
UNODC, under Sub-programme 2 “International/Regional Cooperation in Legal Matters” of the Regional Programme for Afghanistan and Neighbouring Countries (Regional Programme), in support of the Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network of West and Central Asia (ARIN-WCA) organized an online training course on asset management from 16-18 November 2020.
“This training is the result of a long period of sustained effort that UNODC and the Secretariat have conducted to ensure that Network business continuity continues at a very high standard despite the limitations and restriction imposed by the pandemic” said Mr. Danilo Campisi, Regional Coordinator of the Regional Programme.
More than 30 practitioners from law enforcement and prosecution authorities currently involved in asset tracing, freezing and seizure, confiscation and international cooperation from the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Islamic Republic of Iran, Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Republic of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Republic of Uzbekistan actively participated in the training and discussed challenges and best practices pertaining to the management, maintenance and storage of seized and forfeited assets.
“This activity is the first of three training courses on asset management that have been designed to build-up participants’ capacities and strengthen regional and international cooperation in this very important subject in line with the ARIN-WCA strategic plan approved in 2019” said Mr. Uygun Negmadjanov, from the ARIN-WCA Secretariat.
Participants were actively engaged in group work to discuss strategies for strengthening capacities and technical support needs required in this specific field. Experts from the United Kingdom, Ireland, Guernsey and Belgium presented their respective asset management systems and policies and emphasized the importance of regional and international cooperation for successful asset management and return.
UNODC expressed appreciation to the Government of Finland and the European Union for funding this event.