Sarajevo, 27 May 2022¨C Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Counter-Terrorism Centre (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵCCT) of the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵOCT) concluded a workshop on ¡°Countering the use of Cryptocurrencies to Finance Terrorism¡±. The event took place from 25 to 27 May 2022 at the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ House in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Mr. Raffi Gregorian, Director and Deputy to the Under-Secretary-General of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵOCT opened the event virtually. In a video message, he emphasized the need for cooperation and information exchange to prevent the potential use of cryptocurrencies to finance terrorism and reiterated Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵOCT support in this regard.
"We at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵOCT-Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵCCT are committed to providing such technical assistance and capacity building support to Member States across all pillars of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy. Last year, we delivered capacity-building trainings and policy awareness-raising events to over 200 participants from 27 Member States on Countering the use of Cryptocurrencies to Finance Terrorism across Central Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa," he said.
The workshop aimed at building capacities and raising policy awareness on efforts to counter and prevent the use of cryptocurrencies to finance terrorism, including through financial intelligence analysis and exchange compliant with international human rights standards.
The 40 participants from public and private sector also learned about investigating crimes related to cryptocurrencies, and the role of security and justice agencies in reducing risks of terrorism financing.
The workshop was the first activity held by Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵOCT in Bosnia and Herzegovina, following the National Consultations Mission conducted in Sarajevo in 2021, as part of a wider collaboration between Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵOCT and the Balkan region to support its counter terrorism efforts.
Background
The latest review resolution of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (GCTS), adopted by the General Assembly on 30 June 2021 expressed concern over the potential use of new and emerging technologies including virtual assets such as cryptocurrencies for terrorist purposes.
The resolution called upon all Member States to consider additional measures to counter the use of such technologies for terrorist purposes while strengthening international cooperation to prevent and combat terrorism.
The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵOCT-Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵCCT Global Programme on Cybersecurity and New Technologies and the Global Programme on Detecting, Preventing and Countering the Financing of Terrorism include cryptocurrencies and their management as a key priority.
