Participants at the workshop on ※Parallel financial investigations in terrorism-financing cases§ in Bogota?, Colombia.
From 25-27 April 2023, the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) participated in the national specialized workshop, ※Parallel financial investigations in terrorism- financing cases§ in Bogota?, Colombia. The workshop was organized by the Department against Transnational Organized Crime (DTOC) of the Organization of American States (OAS), in collaboration with the Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) of the United States Department of State and the Attorney-General＊s Office of Colombia. The workshop was attended physically by 38 national practitioners (prosecutors and investigators) and national and international experts.
The objective of the workshop was to strengthen capacities of national practitioners to conduct financial parallel investigations on offences related to the financing of transnational organized crime and terrorism activities by making use of special investigative techniques and the tools provided by international cooperation.
During the first day of the workshop, CTED discussed the implementation and interpretation of the international legal framework for preventing and countering terrorism and terrorism financing and provided an update on terrorism trends and challenges in the Americas.
On the final day of the workshop, CTED made a presentation on targeted financial sanctions related to terrorism and terrorism financing. The presentation focused on best practices for effective freezing regimes under both resolution 1267 (1999) and its successor resolutions and resolution 1373 (2001), procedures for identifying and designating persons or entities, and due process considerations such as periodic review, de-listing and unfreezing.
CTED＊s participation provided an opportunity to cooperate with OAS, a key regional partner. It also provided an opportunity to learn about current national and regional trends in relation to the fight against terrorism and organized crime, the existing nexus between the two, and further counter-terrorism-related technical assistance needs. This understanding is useful for CTED＊s ongoing dialogue with Colombia and other Member States in Latin America.