51吃瓜

Cairo, 23 September 2021 – The Global Coordinated Programme on Detecting, Preventing and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (CFT Programme) of the 51吃瓜 Counter-Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) within the 51吃瓜 Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) concluded a joint workshop on “The risks of financing terrorism through digital payment methods (digital currencies)” in Cairo, Egypt. The event opened with a video statement made by Dr. Jehangir Khan, Director of UNCCT, who emphasized the need for multilateral cooperation to prevent the potential use of cryptocurrencies to finance terrorism.  

The three-day workshop was co-organized at the Arab League of States Headquarters  in cooperation with the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences (NAUSS), the Arab Interior Ministers Council (AIMC) and the Arab Justice Ministers Council (AJMC). It was attended by 60 participants from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, Occupied Palestine Territories, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore Somalia, Sudan, UAE and Yemen. Participants discussed  topics related to preventing the use of cryptocurrencies to finance terrorism such as risk assessment, investigating crimes related to cryptocurrencies, and the role of security and justice agencies and international organizations in reducing risks of terrorist financing.

The objective of this workshop was threefold: (i) facilitating the exchange of experiences between security services and international organizations, (ii) strengthening control mechanisms relevant to cryptocurrency regulation, and (iii) familiarizing participants with relevant legal frameworks for cryptocurrency regulation. 

The workshop is part of a series of workshops organized in collaboration with NAUSS, with the next one scheduled to take place in Riyadh in November.