07 June 2024, Paris – On 3 June 2024, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) unveiled its ground-breaking e-learning programme to strengthen systems to counter money-laundering and the financing of terrorism in Colombia. The programme was developed in close collaboration with the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy, the Financial Information and Analysis Unit of Colombia (UIAF), and the University of Antioquia.

The programme was launched at the 30th annual Egmont Group Plenary within the framework of the Technical Assistance and Training Working Group. This year’s event welcomed four hundred delegates from the Egmont Group, international partners and observers.

UNITAR and UIAF joined a round-table discussion, moderated by Ms. Katja Betchel, UNITAR Anticorruption and Partnerships Senior Advisor, that featured prominent participants including Mr. Luis Eduardo Llinás, Director General of UIAF, and the Head of International Affairs, along with Mr. Michael Adalla, UNITAR Programme Officer. The conversation focused on the challenges Colombia faced in its efforts to combat money-laundering and terrorist financing, and how this innovative e-learning programme contributes to the long-term sustainability of the country’s success in combating financial crime.

“UNITAR’s financial crime programmes take a comprehensive approach to build the capacity of governments and institutions to efficiently recognize, measure, and respond to financial crime worldwide,” stated Mr. Adalla, who spoke about the programme’s development and implementation. “This programme is designed to be adaptable and scalable, offering the potential to benefit other financial intelligence units around the world with different regional contexts.”

Ms. Mihoko Kumamoto, Director of the UNITAR Division for Prosperity, emphasized UNITAR’s role as a trusted partner in developing solutions for global challenges like money-laundering and terrorist financing. “This programme leverages UNITAR’s expertise in e-learning to equip compliance officers with the skills they need to safeguard financial systems, not just in Colombia but across the globe,” stated Ms. Kumamoto. 

With an ambitious goal of reaching 20,000 compliance officers across Colombia in its first phase, it will contribute to a global environment where financial crime has no space to flourish. Alongside other recent projects in the Sahel region and North Africa, this initiative underscores UNITAR’s dedication to paving the way for a safer, more prosperous future for all.