2016 ISSIII_WS Algeria Feb regional

EU-Funded Action in the Maghreb Region: Regional Seminar on Effective Investigation and Prosecution of Financing of Terrorism

The third regional seminar of the four-year joint initiative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate, funded by the European Union, was held in Algiers from 2 to 4 February 2016.

About 60 participants from the beneficiary countries as well as from countries from the MENA region and international and regional organizations attended the workshop. In addition to senior representatives from Algeria, Libya, Mauritania and Morocco, experts from Belgium, France, Italy, Lebanon and Spain participated in the debate sharing their respective national experience by assessing challenges and presenting good practices to address them. Regional and international organizations such as the Arab Maghreb Union, Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force, INTERPOL, League of Arab States, African Centre for the Study and Research on Terrorism and the Ombudsperson engaged very actively in the various sessions providing a broader overview of the topic and sharing good approaches.

Criminal justice and investigative officials face many challenges in preventing and countering the misuse of funds for terrorist financing purposes. Proactive financial investigation before the commission of terrorist acts compliant with the rule of law and human rights is crucial. The meeting also highlighted the benefits and challenges of including a financial investigation component in any counter-terrorism investigation. Special focus was given to the effective use of financial intelligence units in counter-terrorism investigations including their powers to block financial transactions. The workshop also aimed to discuss with participants potential sources of financing of terrorism in the region as well as to sensitize to new trends of moving and transferring funds in the region. Practical cases and case studies were used to ensure full interaction and participation by the attendees.

Sessions were technical and covered, among others, issues related to:

current terrorist financing threat internationally and in the Maghreb region;
criminalization of the terrorist financing offence and the challenges in prosecuting terrorist financing cases in accordance with the rule of law and in full respect for human rights;
internal coordination and information-sharing on terrorist financing issues including with the private sector;
freezing of terrorist assets compliant with human rights principles;
challenges in implementing targeted financial sanctions;
misuse of the non-profit sector for terrorist financing purposes; and
promotion of international and regional cooperation on terrorism financing.

Algerian authorities expressed their full appreciation for hosting such an important regional event and for all UNODC/TPB technical assistance provided since 2013, highlighting its accuracy regarding national needs and priorities in the field of counter-terrorism.