UNODC and OSCE delivered a Foundational Training-of-Trainers  Course on Countering the Financing of Terrorism for Practitioners from Montenegro

 

7 - 9 May 2024, Vienna, Austria: UNODC, jointly with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), organized a train-the-trainer course to improve the skills of practitioners from Montenegro to conduct effective financial investigations in counter-terrorism. This foundation course is part of a comprehensive training programme on anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (CFT), which is focused on the implementation of relevant UN Security Council Resolutions and related Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards. The main goal of the programme is to strengthen local capacities, enhance inter-agency co-operation and promote public-private partnerships in the field of anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism in line with advanced international practices.

The train-the-trainers course aimed to equip a team of local practitioners with the necessary knowledge and skills to become trainers within their respective agencies in Montenegro. The participating staff from the Special State Prosecutor’s Office, National Security Agency, Customs Administration, Financial Intelligence Unit and Police Directorate (Sector for the Fight against Crime) learned about the terrorist funding cycle and the importance of finance for terrorist organizations, whilst discussing  different types of illicit financial flows. The TOT also featured an introductory session on cybercrime and virtual asset tracing.

The inter-agency team examined and further developed various exercise-based training materials alongside co-produced scenarios tailored to the local context. The interactive nature of the sessions facilitated knowledge transfer and peer learning, fostering collaboration and cooperation among participants.

The training was delivered with a train-the-trainer element to enable participants to deliver and share newly acquired knowledge and skills with their colleagues involved in countering terrorist financing. As a next step a foundational training course led by the team of local trainers is plannedin June  in Budva, Montenegro, to start the process of rolling out the program among a wider audience of Montenegrin law enforcement and other stakeholders.

After successful completion of the courses, the practitioners are expected to demonstrate enhanced ability to conduct financial investigations and engage in necessary inter-agency and international cooperation, while respecting human rights standards.

The training programme is implemented in partnership with OSCE, and supported by UNODC’s Global Programme against Money Laundering, Proceeds of Crime and the Financing of Terrorism (GPML) and the Regional Office for South Eastern Europe (ROSEE). The programme aligns with UNODC’s Regional Programme for South Eastern Europe (RPSEE) in the context of UNODC’s wider engagement to address organized crime, money laundering and cybercrime in the region.

This course marks a significant step in strengthening Montenegro's capacity to combat terrorism financing and underscores the importance of international cooperation in addressing transnational security threats, illicit flows and cybercrime. The course was organized with the financial support of the United States of America and Norway.