Sixteen representatives from various non-profit organizations (NPOs) participated in an awareness-raising workshop in Mostar on 2 July 2024, organised by the Council of Europe as part of its action against corruption, money laundering, and terrorist financing in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The workshop focused on protecting NPOs from terrorist financing abuse by enhancing their understanding of vulnerabilities within the sector and promoting best practices to mitigate these risks. Council of Europe experts led the sessions, covering different topics related to terrorist financing risks and effective risk management.

The first session examined why NPOs can be attractive targets for terrorist financing, highlighting current trends and noting internationally recognized risks and methods of misuse. Subsequent sessions explored the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards for NPOs and discussed common risk factors, addressing key areas such as internal governance, governmental oversight, and risk-based approaches.

The workshop emphasized the importance of a risk-based approach to safeguarding NPOs from terrorist financing abuse. This event marked the beginning of a series of similar initiatives planned under the Action, reinforcing the Council of Europe’s commitment to strengthening the resilience of the NPO sector against terrorism financing risks.

This workshop is a part of the Council of Europe's three-year initiative focused on combating corruption, money laundering, and terrorist financing in Bosnia and Herzegovina, funded under the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye III” and through a voluntary contribution of the Council of Europe.