With the generous support of the Government of Japan, UNICRI convened a three-day regional workshop titled “Facilitating Regional Cooperation for Robust and Effective Sanctions Enforcement: UNICRI’s Southeast Asia Workshop on United Nations WMD Sanctions and Emerging Threats”, held from 11–13 November 2025 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Bringing together more than 20 representatives from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Member States — including officials from foreign ministries, financial intelligence units, central banks, law enforcement agencies, customs authorities, and private-sector partners — the workshop served as a dynamic platform for strengthening regional cooperation. Participants engaged actively throughout the programme, fostering a shared understanding of sanctions obligations, improving operational coordination, and building collective readiness against sanctions evasion, proliferation financing, and cyber-enabled threats.
A Comprehensive and Action-Oriented Programme Addressing Evolving Threats
Day 1 — Strengthening Understanding of the Sanctions Landscape
The workshop opened with remarks from the Government of Japan and UNICRI, underscoring the importance of a united regional approach.
Participants were provided with an in-depth overview of United Nations Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)-related sanctions regimes, followed by a detailed analysis of current sanctions-evasion practices such as procurement networks and sophisticated maritime deception tactics.
A regional panel enabled ASEAN representatives to openly reflect on national challenges and jointly identify practical avenues to enhance cross-border cooperation. The day concluded with a hands-on scenario exercise where diverse agencies collaborated in real time — demonstrating the value of a coordinated regional response.
Day 2 — Proliferation Financing, Sectoral and Maritime Sanctions
Day 2 centred on proliferation financing (PF), with discussions on national risk assessments, compliance expectations, and emerging vulnerabilities across Southeast Asia.
A dedicated session on high-revenue-raising activities — including the use of overseas workers embedded in IT and cyber domains — underscored the need for early detection and integrated, whole-of-government approaches. Participants then moved onto a practical, open-source investigation exercise using corporate records and public databases to trace anomalies linked to maritime sanctions evasion — showcasing concrete skills they can immediately apply within their national systems.
Day 3 — Countering Cyber-Enabled Threats and Virtual Asset Risks
The final day focused on the cyber dimension of sanctions evasion, featuring briefings on attacks targeting financial institutions, virtual-asset platforms, and critical infrastructure.
A timed scenario exercise provided an opportunity to reflect on national and regional strategies in responding to cyber incidents.
A session on cryptocurrency theft, laundering methodologies, and virtual asset risks provided actionable insights, while the closing group exercise challenged participants to design a regional mechanism for timely information exchange. Their proposals, presented in a final plenary, demonstrated a strong collective commitment to advancing regional cooperation.
UNICRI concluded the workshop by outlining concrete next steps to continue supporting ASEAN Member States in strengthening their national frameworks and reinforcing regional resilience.
Key Outcomes
Enhanced understanding of UN sanctions obligations, including sectoral, financial, and cyber-related measures.
Striking regional momentum toward establishing a formal ASEAN information-sharing mechanism, particularly on maritime trends, cyber incidents, and PF-related intelligence.
Improved technical skills in the use of open-source information for sanctions investigations.
Deepened cross-sector cooperation, strengthening operational ties between financial intelligence units (FIUs), law-enforcement bodies, customs and export-control authorities.
High demand for follow-up assistance, with several ASEAN Member States requesting targeted support on PF risk assessments, maritime sanctions implementation, and virtual-asset regulations.
This workshop represents a significant step forward in fortifying Southeast Asia’s collective resilience against increasingly complex sanctions-evasion methodologies. UNICRI, together with the Government of Japan, remains firmly committed to supporting Member States as they reinforce national frameworks, advance regional cooperation, and safeguard the integrity of the international WMD proliferation sanctions architecture.