OSCE holds expert meeting in Moldova on preventing and countering terrorist financing

CHISINAU, 27 September 2011 – Investigating and prosecuting the financing of terrorism is the focus of a three-day OSCE-organized meeting that opened today in Chisinau.

Experts from the judiciary, prosecution offices and law enforcement agencies of more than 20 countries, and government representatives from the South East Europe, Central and Eastern Europe and Southern Caucasus regions, will share experiences and best practices in investigating these crimes. They will also discuss how the implementation of the 1999 International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism and other international obligations and standards can promote inter-state co-operation.

The meeting is jointly organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Terrorism Prevention Branch (TPB) and the OSCE Action Against Terrorism Unit (ATU).

“We will only be able to counter terrorism if we successfully cut terrorists financial resources, and tackle the root causes of terrorism and violent extremism,” said Manuel Marion, the Senior Programme Officer at the OSCE ATU.  

''The success of the international legal instruments depends largely on the commitment of national institutions. Such commitment is vital to fighting the financing of terrorism, organized crime and money laundering as they raise very complex issues that need an integrated approach,” said Fernanda Lombardi, Terrorism Prevention Specialist at TPB/UNODC. “If we are to protect our societies and keep intact our common values, including the full respect of human rights and the rule of law, we must master these challenges.''

This event is part of UNODC and OSCE efforts to assist participating States in putting  international legal instruments into practice and to facilitate co-operation in criminal matters related to terrorism.