Multi-agency teams from North Macedonia explore financial disruption options to counter terrorist financing

On 18 November, a four-day course aimed at further strengthening national capacity to counter the financing of terrorism concluded in Gevgelija, North Macedonia. The course was organized by the OSCE Secretariat’s Transnational Threats Department, with the support of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the OSCE Mission to Skopje.

Twenty-seven officials, including twelve women, actively participated in the course. They represented eight national agencies involved in countering terrorist financing, including the Republic of North Macedonia’s Ministries of Internal Affairs and Defense, the Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption, the Customs Administration, Financial Police, Intelligence Agency, Financial Intelligence Office, and the Agency for National Security.

The participants learned to assess and disrupt terrorism by examining the “business model” of related groups. A team of local trainers presented techniques such as functional and vulnerabilities analysis, and auditing. By applying these on a localized scenario, inter-agency teams considered which financial disruption option would achieve maximum impact.

Organized with the financial support of the United States, the course is part of a comprehensive multi-annual training programme on countering the financing of terrorism, jointly implemented by the OSCE and UNODC in North Macedonia since 2021.

The programme is designed to support North Macedonia in building its counter terrorist financing framework and in complying with international commitments and standards, in particular UN Security Council Resolution 2462 (2019), and Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards.