Legal experts and international CSOs have noted the increased use of the counter-terrorism agenda by governments as a main argument behind the new generation of restrictions on civic space. Therefore, it is crucial for civil society to be up to date with the international policies which support and urge the implementation of counter-terrorism standards concerning the operation of CSOs. However, following and understating the increasingly complex counter-terrorism rules issued by various international bodies is a challenging task at hand.
The main aim of this new document, authored by Milka Ivanovska-Hadjievska and published by BCSDN, is to enhance civil society’s understanding of the overall mission of the Financial Action Task Force FATF, which is one of the international actors that create counter-terrorism rules and policies. The document aims to provide a condensed information on the character of FATF Special Recommendation 8 on Non-profit organisations (NPOs) and its implementation in the countries from the Western Balkans and Turkey. With the main aim to protect the international financial system, FATF collaborates with other international actors to identify threats and weaknesses on national level. The Council of Europe’s Committee of Experts on the Evaluation of Anti-Money Laundering Measures and the Financing of Terrorism (MONEYVAL) was established in 1997 to ensure that member states implement effective measures to prevent money-laundering and financing of terrorism. Total of 30 states are subject to MONEYVAL`s evaluations, including Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia and Albania. Turkey is monitored by FATF and OECD, while Kosovo has not been a subject of mutual evaluation process yet.
In the document, FATF recommendation 8 as it stands in the current FATF methodology is introduced. This is followed by a brief overview of the main criticism on the implementation of FATF standards in relation to NPOs and FATF`s monitoring methodology. Then, a summary of country ratings, key findings and recommendations concerning NPOs are presented. .
The document is available for download here.