Counter-Terrorism Technical Assistance Programmes

Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering

 

 

Technical Assistance Programme Description	As a FATF-style regional body (FSRB), the APG itself is not a 'provider' of technical assistance in the usual sense. The assistance provided to APG members and observers tends to be by means of a combination effort involving members of the APG Secretariat, various APG members through their bi-lateral donor programs and by other bi-lateral and multi-lateral donors and providers through their particular mandates, programs and projects. The APG maintains a matrix of information on AML/CFT TA needs and delivery which is compiled using a variety of sources - APG mutual evaluations and other assessment reports; TA&T needs missions and assessments; self-reports by jurisdictions at the APG Annual Meeting and Typologies Workshop; reporting through individual sessions held as part of the Annual APG TA&T Forum; donor reports; research and information provided by other AML/CFT-related organizations etc. The matrix does not purport to be an exhaustive and comprehensive coverage. Rather, it is, at best, a snapshot of the information the APG holds and it functions, in many cases, to open the conversation between donor and country for more detailed assistance to be developed and delivered. To date the TA provision has been fairly light in the CFT area. The APG is aware of this and is keen to strengthen the CFT TA&T provided to better assist jurisdictions to fully implement the international standards. It must be noted however that many APG member jurisdictions are still in the very early stages of implementing their basic AML systems and, in the face of competing demands, have not as yet placed much focus on the CFT requirements. The APG members, and the members of the APG Donors and Providers Group (the DAP Group) continue to provide rigorous encouragement for these jurisdictions to give the CFT matters their due priority With respect to the APG CFT-related activities, some of the recent highlights would include: (i) Cooperation with UK Charity Commission to deliver workshops on effective regulation of the NGO sector, with a specific reference to implementation of Special Recommendation VIII : NPOs; (ii) Cooperation with USA OPDAT for South East Asian and South Asian workshops on charities regulation; (iii) A focus on cash couriers and trade-based money laundering in the context of APG typologies workshops and the technical seminars held in conjunction with the Annual TA&T Forum; (iv) Work on developing a TBML training program for border-control agencies, including a focus on CFT implications; (v) Participation in, and support for, a regional ARS workshop for ASEAN + Bangladesh organized by Austrac (Australian FIU) March 2006; (vi) Contribution to UNODC TPD CT/CFT workshop in Mongolia; (vii) Contribution to CFT Conference organized by Dutch Ministry of Finance; (viii) Contribution to UK Wilton Park CFT conference.
Technical Assistance Methodology	(i) APG AML/CFT TA&T Needs Matrix. (ii) APG Donors and Providers Group - regional coordination of TA&T delivery. (iii) Annual TA&T Forum - regional and individual jurisdiction sessions. (iv) Technical Seminars. (v) Topic- specific training and awareness-raising, regionally and in-country.
Technical Assistance Eligibility	All APG member, and priority observer, jurisdictions are eligible (and encouraged) to provide TA&T needs information and to access the APG TA&T and DAP Group processes.
Organization's Members	Australia; Bangladesh; Brunei Darussalam; Cambodia; Canada; Taiwan, China; Cook Islands; Fiji Islands; Hong Kong, China; India; Indonesia; Japan; Korea, Republic of; Macau, China; Malaysia; Marshall Islands; Mongolia; Myanmar; Nepal; New Zealand; Niue; Pakistan; Palau; Philippines; Samoa; Singapore; Sri Lanka; Thailand; Tonga; United States of America; Vanuatu Priority Observer Jurisdictions: Kiribati; Lao PDR; Maldives; Nauru; Papua New Guinea; Solomon Islands; Timor-Leste; Viet Nam.

Donor/Provider Contacts