On 2 March 2023, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), with the support of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, concluded a training of trainers aimed at furthering the skills of beneficiary entities to conduct effective financial investigations in counter-terrorism.
During the three-day course in Vienna, a team of local trainers learned more about the terrorist funding cycle, including the financial requirements of a terrorist organisation and the opportunities these present for disruption. The inter-agency team worked to further tailor course material, including an exercise scenario, to the local context together with international expert trainers.
"Money is like oxygen for terrorists. If we cut off their money, we cut off their oxygen. Therefore, stemming the flow of terrorist funds is the backbone of OSCE counter-terrorism efforts - it prevents terrorist organizations from being able to run their operations. It ultimately contributes to preventing attacks being carried out," highlighted Irfan Saeed, Head of Anti-Terrorism Issues at the OSCE Secretariat during his opening remarks.
The course forms part of a comprehensive training programme on countering terrorist financing with the objective to further build the operational framework to prevent terrorists from moving, using and raising funds for terrorist purposes. After this course, the trainers taking part in the initiative, jointly with the lead experts, will go on to deliver this course to their peers involved in countering terrorist financing.
