A regional workshop for high-level Iraqi officials on “Cross-border cooperation to prevent and suppress the financing of terrorism,” in which the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) participated, took place in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, from 27 to 29 May 2015.
The workshop was attended by high-level policymakers and criminal-justice experts and officials from States of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region — including Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia — and provided an opportunity for the sharing of experiences in terms of international and regional cooperation in criminal matters.
Experts from INTERPOL, the Middle East & North Africa Financial Action Task Force (MENAFATF), UNESCO, and representatives of Italy, Spain, and the United States described their respective cooperation mechanisms on matters related to foreign terrorist fighters and on the functioning of their financial intelligence units.
National delegations informed participants about their existing national legislative frameworks and mechanisms for international cooperation, with a particular focus on combating the financing of terrorism.
Workshop participants emphasized the importance of facilitating regional and international cooperation aimed at denying safe havens to suspected and listed terrorists, and depriving them of the means to finance and carry out terrorist acts.
The workshop — which was conducted by the Terrorism Prevention Branch of UNODC, with financial support from Japan — served as a platform for the exchange of experience between Iraqi officials and officials of neighbouring States, as well as to enhance cooperation between participating Member States and regional and international organisations.