Wednesday, July 24, 2013

GIABA to mobilize youths against organised crime


English: Logo of The Intergovernmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) Русский: Логотип Межправительственной группы по борьбе с отмыванием денег в Западной Африке (ГИАБА) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) will on Thursday mobilize youths against organised crime by targeting their attitudes, behaviors and beliefs.
The agency’s 7th Edition Open House Forum is slated for July 25, 2013 at the Miatta Conference Centre in Freetown, Republic of Sierra Leone. 
It will provide an opportunity for youths to embark on advocacy by helping to disseminate Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Financing Terrorism (AML/CFT) messages among their peers and political decision-makers, thereby becoming important policy advocates, GIABA said.

The Open House Forum is designed to provide GIABA with a platform to sensitize and involve the youths as part of concerted efforts aimed at combating organized crime, which has become a major threat to development and security in the West Africa region.
150 youths from different sectors are expected to attend the 7th Edition on the theme “Mobilizing Youths against Organized Crime”.
They include youths from Universities and Institutions of higher learning, sports and cultural associations, political parties and religious associations, representatives of civil society organizations and professional associations, banks, insurance companies, media houses, and the Diplomatic Corps.
Gbola Adiamoh, GIABA Communications Assistant, said protecting the youths and guaranteeing them a future in an economically prosperous region have become the priorities of ECOWAS in the wake of regional integration.
“Thus, developing the capacity of the youth and empowering them for future leadership would require concerted efforts at both national and individual levels. It is important that youths are therefore educated and sensitized on the essence of combating organized crime in all its forms and ramifications,” he added.
Since 2007, the anti-money laundering agency has been organizing Open Houses for youths as part of efforts to involve all stakeholders in the fight against the twin crimes AML/CFT in West Africa.
The outcomes of the previous editions corroborate the conclusions of the report of the evaluation of GIABA’s 2007-2009 Strategic Plan, which revealed the huge capacity gap among the various strata in the society on AML/CFT issues, the Dakar-based agency noted.
In the subsequent 2011-2014 Strategic Plan, GIABA therefore acknowledged the need to improve the sensitization of youths in member States in order to enhance their understanding of AML/CFT issues, thereby positioning them as champions of good governance.
At the end of the event, it is expected that youths would form a well-organized and highly sensitized alliance on AML/CFT regimes; that the number of people particularly youths that have a thorough understanding of the consequences of AML/CFT would increase; that there would be more effective collaboration in AML/CFT; and that there would be better understanding of the repercussions of money laundering and terrorist financing. 

Written by Modou S. Joof
 
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