North Macedonia enhances inter-agency co-operation and capacities in investigating terrorist financing

A three-day train-the-trainer course on countering terrorist financing (CFT) through investigations for North Macedonia concluded on 31 March 2022 in Vienna. The course was organized by the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department, jointly with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and with the support of the OSCE Mission to Skopje. It aimed at strengthening the capacity of officials from North Macedonia to co-operate in conducting efficient CFT investigations.

Eight trainers from the Republic of North Macedonia’s Prosecutor’s Office, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Financial Intelligence Office, and the Intelligence Agency and Customs, worked together with lead experts to further tailor scenarios and course material for local participants. This review based on areas considered a priority threat will allow experts from North Macedonia to understand and apply a number of analytical and investigative techniques in a practical environment and further their skills to identify, investigate and disrupt the financing of terrorism.

The training course, organized with the financial support of the United States, is part of a comprehensive training programme for North Macedonia on countering terrorist financing, jointly implemented by the OSCE and UNODC since June 2021.

The multiyear programme aims to build up North Macedonia’s CFT framework and increase the country’s capacity to detect and combat terrorist financing and strengthen compliance with relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, Financial Action Task Force standards, and OSCE commitments.