ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan -

Representatives of financial intelligence units, law enforcement bodies, prosecutors and other Governmental agencies of all Central Asian countries and Afghanistan met in Ashgabat on 14-16 December to discuss joint effective response to terrorism financing. The three-day training workshop on "Effectively countering the financing of terrorism" was organized by the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia and the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force/UN Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) Office, in collaboration with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The event was also attended by representatives of CTITF entities, the SCO Regional Anti-terrorist Structure, the OSCE, the European Union, the Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (EAG) and international experts.

The objectives of the workshop were to strengthen the abilities of financial intelligence units to collect, analyze, share information, so that law enforcement bodies can act on data and prosecute. The event also promoted inter-agency networks at regional and domestic levels.

"Central Asian countries have made great efforts in implementing the UN Security Council Resolutions, the UN Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, as well as the recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF). However, we understand that more capacity building of financial intelligence units is needed, notably, to facilitate the implementation of UN instruments on preventing and combating the financing of terrorism into domestic legislation and practice", said in his address to the participants Petko Draganov, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Head of UNRCCA.