UNODC's Terrorism Prevention Branch (TPB) delivered a cross-regional event on countering the financing of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (by non-State actors) in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia on 17-19 September 2019. The event enjoyed high level support from Mongolian partners including the Head of the General Intelligence Agency, H.E. Mr. D. Gerel. The Deputy Head of the Embassy of Japan in Mongolia, Mr. S. Hayahsi welcomed the participants during the opening session. The Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Mongolia, Mr. O. Erdembileg, participated in the closing ceremony along with the newly appointed UN Resident Coordinator in Mongolia, Mr. Tapan Mishra.
The three-day event brought together nearly 60 government officials and experts from seven countries in South and South-East Asia and Mongolia (Bangladesh, Malaysia, the Maldives, Nepal, the Philippines and Sri Lanka) who exchanged national experiences, challenges and good practices in countering terrorism financing and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) by non-State actors.
The tailor-made training conducted by international experts and practitioners covered a range of specialized topics, such as UN Security Council resolutions targeting ISIL/Da'esh, Al Qaida and Taliban, UN Security Council resolution 1540 and related financial obligations, challenges and approaches for effective engagement with the private sector to identify and counter terrorist financing risks, the use of open source intelligence in investigations related to the financing of terrorism or proliferation of WMDs by non-State actors, and other selected topics. Special attention was devoted to the group exercise in which the participants, divided into multi-agency and multi-country teams, analysed and presented on issues related to the activities of a fictitious terrorist group associated with the financing, transportation and trafficking of WMDs.
Experts and participants expressed their full appreciation for the activity and noted the high quality of the training sessions. UNODC/TPB will continue to closely coordinate with the beneficiary countries and experts regarding future activities related to this topic.
The event was made possible with the financial support provided by Japan.