T. Raja Kumar, President of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Jürgen Stock, Secretary General of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), and Ghada Waly, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), issued a call to action to fight money laundering and terrorist financing on Monday 13 May at the 33rd session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Vienna.
They believe that countries must urgently step up their efforts to target the huge illicit profits generated by transnational organised crime, which facilitate conflicts, fund terrorism and negatively impact vulnerable populations. Disincentivising criminal activity through targeting illicit profits would also positively impact across all Goals of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, such as inclusive economic growth, financial stability and strengthened institutions and governance.
“Money laundering, terrorism financing, and their predicate offences are fuelling instability, violence, and exploitation worldwide”, explained Mr Waly. (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)