OSCE seminar addresses role of non-profit organizations in combating anti-money laundering and financing of terrorism in Turkmenistan
On 29 March 2022, the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat organized an online seminar on the tasks and functions of non-profit organizations (NPOs) and their supervising agencies in the implementation of the 2021-2022 national Risk Management Action Plan (RMAP) in preparation for the Eurasian Group’s (EAG) anti-money laundering and countering financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) mutual evaluation process.
Representatives of the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Turkmenistan, the Financial Monitoring Service, the Ministry of Justice, the Bar Association, legal assistance licensees, and representatives of NPOs involved in the EAG evaluation process attended the seminar.
An international expert from Lithuania elaborated on the roles of NPOs and government agencies in the implementation of RMAP and provided an overview of the roles and tasks of identifying and mitigating AML/CFT risks. The session also presented best practices and necessary measures for NPOs to provide quality information on technical compliance, effectiveness and statistics, as well as recommendations on how to successfully prepare NPOs for the EAG mutual evaluation.
“Governance problems such as corruption and money laundering deprive states of the ability to effectively ensure sustainable economic, social and environmental development and undermine social cohesion, stability and security,” said Ivana Markovic-Boskovic, Economic and Environmental Officer of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.
“The OSCE is fully committed to countering money laundering, as well as terrorist financing, putting it as a priority policy task. In particular, protecting NPOs from terrorist financing abuse is both a critical component of the global fight against terrorism and a necessary step to preserve the integrity of NPOs and the donor community,” added Markovic-Boskovic.
The seminar is a continuation of the Centre’s long-term support to the Government of Turkmenistan in advancing its AML/CFT system in compliance with Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards.