Search Results | Global NPO Coalition on FATF

Multistakeholder dialogue in Nigeria ahead of their FATF evaluation onsite visit

Spaces for Change convened a multi-stakeholder meeting in Abuja on June 20 on the issue of terrorism financing (TF)/money laundering (ML) risk in the NPO sector. Nigeria is in the process of preparing for its FATF Mutual Evaluation, with an onsite visit scheduled for September 2019. Ahead of this, Nigeria published a National Risk Assessment for TF and ML (completed in 2016), which identified Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Institutions (DNFIs), of which NPOs are a subset, as being among…

Capacity Building for Kosovar NPOs Ahead of FATF Evaluation Onsite Visit

Pristina, June 13: Along with ECNL, HSC took part in a workshop with Kosovar NPOs prior to the FATF Mutual Evaluation Report onsite visit, which assesses whether Kosovo has the necessary AML/CFT laws and regulations in place and whether these are effective. The workshop touched on how FATF Recommendation 8 affected civil society, what the FATF evaluation cycle looked like, what the entry points were for NPO engagement in the evaluation and follow-up process, and, specifically, how NPOs could pre…

FATF and Civic Space: Lessons from Nigeria

Written by Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, Executive Director, SPACES FOR CHANGE | S4C

In Nigeria, as elsewhere in the world, the drivers of shrinking civic space are not static. They shift with the times. During the military regime, specifically, between 1966 and 1999, civil society organizations (CSOs) as well as vocal critics of government encountered very disturbing levels of repression and brutality in the hands of state actors. Whether it is the indiscriminate arrests and incarceration of activi…

South Africa: Stakeholder Engagement on FATF Framework and its Impacts

Global NPO Coalition co-chair Human Security Collective (HSC) visited Cape Town and Johannesburg to engage with a broad range of stakeholders on the FATF framework and its impacts.

The visit began in Cape Town, where HSC participated in a two-day seminar titled “Reflection on Over 20 Years of AML/CFT Implementation.” Organised by CENFRI and the University of the Western Cape with support from IFAD, the seminar brought together representatives from the FATF Secretariat, South Africa’s National T…

Mexican Civil Society Coalition Submits Input for Assessors Ahead of FATF Mutual Evaluation Onsite Visit

Mexican civil society organizations have submitted a technical analysis to the FATF ahead of Mexico’s Mutual Evaluation on-site visit in March 2026. The submission examines the impacts of recent reforms to Mexico’s anti-money laundering framework on nonprofit organizations (NPOs).

The reform, which entered into force in July 2025, was adopted in the context of Mexico’s follow-up to its 2018 FATF evaluation. While framed as part of efforts to strengthen the country’s AML/CFT framework, the submi…

Experiencias, desafíos y oportunidades en América Latina en tiempos de COVID-19

Written by Gariela Pellón, AML/CFT expert and member of the Expert Hub of the Global NPO Coalition on FATF

A menudo los representantes de ONGs deben lidiar con numerosos obstáculos que los bancos y agencias de gobierno colocan en su camino mientras intentan recaudar y/o ejecutar fondos imprescindibles para llevar a cabo sus misiones caritativas. Dichas trabas ponen en constante peligro tanto la implementación de programas como la relación con la comunidad de donantes.

Muy pocos conocen cuales…

Roundtables to address de-risking: lessons learned

NPOs often encounter barriers to accessing financial services due a combination of stringent anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regulations and the perception by banks of nonprofits as being high-risk and low-profit. These regulations, while designed to prevent illicit activities, have resulted in NPO’s being de-risked, in other words it means their accounts being closed, facing issues opening bank accounts and facing delays and cancellation of transfers. These severely impact…

Outreach and Engagement

NPOs need to:

Create a coalition in-country which can engage on the issue in terms of research/evidence gathering, advocacy and capacity building
Raise awareness on AML/CFT rules and regulations, and their obligations thereof
Keep abreast of already existing laws regulating the sector, including self-regulatory measures
Convene multi-stakeholder dialogue processes to better understand security/regulatory mandates and, in turn, inform about their unintended consequences on the sector
Engage in t…

Nigeria: FATF on-site visit consultation with NPOs

Our coalition member, Spaces for Change, met with a five-member FATF/GIABA assessor team in Abuja on 10 October. They said they had seen Spaces for Change's report on the NRA and asked several questions about the issues raised in the report, especially around the existing AML/CFT regulatory frameworks, the classification of NPOs as DNFIs and the undue reporting burdens that Nigerian NPOs face. Discussed was the possible introduction of a dedicated regulator for the sector to deal with the c…

Engaging in Mutual Evaluation process

WHAT TO DO?
Find out who represents your government at the FATF plenary (likely to be the Ministry of Finance) and request a meeting. If your country is not a member of FATF find out who in government is the contact for the FATF regional body. A list of FATF members and regional bodies is here.

Be aware of when your country is up for an FATF evaluation. Form a coalition to advocate the cause of a free and fully-functioning civil society space.

Learn from civil society in countries that have go…