With a strategic focus on further enhancing Bosnia and Herzegovina's (BiH) capacity to combat the financing of terrorism, the OSCE Secretariat's Transnational Threats Department (TNTD) organized, jointly with UNODC's Global Programme against Money Laundering Proceeds of Crime and the Financing of Terrorism, an awareness-raising workshop on 9-10 May 2024 in Sarajevo. The workshop was organized in partnership with the Ministry of Security of BiH and the OSCE Mission to BiH.
The unique initiative brought together around 30 representatives from both the public and private sectors for an engaging dialogue on implementing measures outlined in United Nations Security Council resolutions 1267 and 1373, which are crucial to countering the threat of terrorism financing. Delving into the nuances of domestic implementation, participants received detailed insights on the sanctions mechanisms as well as on their role in the identification, nomination, and designation of terrorist organizations, as well as the enforcement and compliance of sanction measures.
"Under international law, countries are required to implement measures to prevent individuals and entities designated as terrorists or terrorist organizations from accessing the financial system and to freeze their assets," said Koen De Smedt, Project Officer at TNTD during his opening remarks. "Therefore, we must equip our frontline defenders - the law enforcement officers and banking professionals - with the tools, knowledge and co-ordination mechanisms necessary to identify, freeze and seize assets linked to terrorism."
The workshop served as a forum for fostering collaboration and co-ordination among private and public stakeholders, thereby bolstering BiH's collective efforts in countering the financing of terrorism and safeguarding financial integrity.
The workshop will be followed by an asset freezing drill exercise to test how effectively country's reporting entities can implement the asset freezing "without delay". The initiative forms part of the comprehensive training programme on countering the financing of terrorism for BiH and is funded by the United States.
