Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

On 13-15 June, UNRCCA in partnership with the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) and the Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (AEG) organized two back-to-back capacity building workshops on implementation of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Recommendation 8. The first workshop was tailored for the representatives of non-profit organizations based in Kyrgyzstan and the second one for competent Kyrgyz authorities. 

A significant number of international experts shared their knowledge and best practices on the implementation of the FATF Recommendation 8, which refers to the requirement for countries to review the adequacy of laws and regulations that relate to non-profit organizations that can be abused for the financing of terrorism. The outcomes of the Follow-up Report and the Mutual Evaluation Report on Kyrgyzstan produced by the AEG were also presented. 

During discussions, non-profit organizations had an opportunity to express their concerns regarding restrictive measures, which could be imposed under the pretext to eliminate possibilities for terrorist organizations to exploit the access of these organizations to funds, trust within communities and well-established networks. In this context, the effective implementation of the FATF Recommendation 8, while maintaining a conducive operational environment for non-profit organizations, was highlighted by the experts. The participants agreed to continue an open dialogue to improve cooperation between authorities and non-profit organizations on implementation of the FATF Recommendation 8.