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President
of ECOWAS Commission, HE Marcel Alain de Souza (middle) flanked by Director
General of GIABA, HE Mr. Adama Coulibaly (left) and Speaker of the ECOWAS
Parliament, HE Mustapha Cisse Lo (right) and other participants at the
“Regional Stakeholders Forum on Emerging Global AML/CFT Issues and Implications
for GIABA Member States” in Saly, Senegal (Tuesday 16 – Thursday 18 August
2016)
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A forum on anti-money
laundering and counter financing terrorism (AML/CFT) held in Saly, Senegal, is
meant to tackle emerging issues of the twin crimes in the sub-regional economic
bloc, ECOWAS.
“The Forum also sought to
enlist the support and commitment of all stakeholders in the pursuit of GIABA’s
mandate and rid the region of trans-national organized crimes,” the Dakar-based
anti-money laundering agency said in a statement on Wednesday.
It was held from August 16-18,
2016 by the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) under the theme “Regional Stakeholders Forum on Emerging Global
AML/CFT Issues and Implications for GIABA Member States”.
GIABA said it is meant to inform
and enlighten all stakeholders on the global emerging trends in anti-money
laundering and combating the financing of terrorism, with specific aim of
understanding the implications for its member States.
On Tuesday, H.E. Marcel Alain
De Souza, President of the ECOWAS Commission, reiterated the commitment of the
ECOWAS Community to peace and security in the region through a holistic
approach.
“It was important for ECOWAS to
improve the multifaceted and strategic approaches and processes required to
ensure the desired results in areas of regional peace and security,” he said.
De Souza identified key areas
of attention to include: adequately resourcing the Financial Intelligence Units
(FIUs) of member States; the need for judiciary of member States to be more
active and timely in the adjudication of relevant cases before them; and that
Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), the media, youths and women groups among
others should be involved in advocating peace and security in the region.
He also recalled his promise on
assumption of office as the President of ECOWAS to strengthen the region,
engender reforms and build the credibility of the Institutions. He assured the
gathering of his commitment to these tasks.
He also emphasized the importance
of peace and security, stating that without the two, no economic development
can take place in the region.
Mr. Adama Coulibaly, the
Director General of GIABA, highlighted the importance of comprehensive
stakeholder engagement in AML/CFT issues in West Africa, with specific attention
on terrorist financing to address the concerns of growing terrorism in the
region.
He said that the need for peace
in the region cannot be overemphasized, and he therefore brought to light the
high-level advocacy missions embarked upon by GIABA leadership to mobilize
authorities at the highest level in member States.
Coulibaly noted that such
high-level advocacy missions are meant to ensure adequate compliance to global
AML/CFT standards and avoid heavy international sanctions that may result from
non-compliance.
He called for the need to carry
every stakeholder along in the preparation for the 2nd Round of Mutual
Evaluation exercises of GIABA member States. He concluded by calling on all
stakeholders to expand support and commitment to GIABA and its work to build a
peaceful and prosperous region.
The Speaker of the ECOWAS
Parliament, H.E. Moustapha Cisse Lo and the President of ECOWAS Community Court
of Justice, Hon. Justice Jerome Traore both expressed their solidarity to GIABA
and promised support for the sub-regional agency in their individual
capacities.
Particularly, the Speaker
highlighted the specific role of Parliament in legislation at various member
States and pledge commitment to work with GIABA to rid the region of these
deleterious crimes.
The Dean of the ECOWAS
ambassadors accredited to Senegal also expressed the commitment of the
Diplomatic Corps to activities of GIABA and the fight against Money Laundering
and Terrorist Financing.
GIABA is a specialised agency
of the ECOWAS, charged with the mandate to protect the economies of West
African countries from money laundering and to ensure the peace and security of
the region through activities aimed at combating terrorist financing and
financing of proliferation of small and light weapons.
Written by Modou S. Joof
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