OSCE and UNODC support North Macedonia in conducting efficient counter-terrorism financing investigations

Strengthening North Macedonia’s capacity to identify, investigate and prosecute the financing of terrorism was the focus of a four-day training course, which concluded on 13 May 2022 in Ohrid. The OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) jointly organized the training course with the support of the OSCE Mission to Skopje.

Twenty-four experts of the Public Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Customs Administration, the Financial Police Office, the Intelligence Agency, the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Justice, Financial Intelligence Office, and the Agency for National Security learned about techniques and methods to assist in the successful conduct of counter-terrorism investigations. The course particularly aimed at strengthening interagency co-operation through joint work on localized scenarios.

A team of eight local trainers, supported by lead experts, delivered the course. The trainers completed a train-the-trainer course held in March in Vienna where the co-produced scenarios were tailored to the North Macedonian context.

To strengthen links with international partners, a representative of the EUROPOL European Counter Terrorism Centre presented their work during an online session.

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

The multiyear programme aims at building up North Macedonia’s counter-terrorism financing framework and increasing the country’s capacity to detect and combat terrorist financing. In addition, it will aid in strengthening compliance with relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, Financial Action Task Force standards, and OSCE commitments.