HYDERABAD: The Hari Welfare Association and Blue Veins jointly organised a capacity building workshop at Nawabshah, on existing regulations on NPOs’ ability to receive foreign and local funding, FATF regulations, the impact of anti-money laundering/counter-terror financing regulations on civil society, required measures and partnerships to protect civic spaces, mutual evaluation to FATF processes and how civil society can engage meaningfully at provincial and national levels for improved civic participation.
The FATF is an intergovernmental policy-making organisation that leads the international fight against money laundering and terrorist financing. FATF Recommendation 8 specifically aims to mitigate the risk of terrorist financing by way of non-profit organizations.
The workshop aimed to provide a good understanding of the FATF system, the current issues at stake for Pakistani actors, both State (Provincial and Federal Government, Charity Commissions, etc) and NGOs; and to learn how NGOs could engage in the evaluation process. NGOs’ experience with recent FATF evaluations in other countries was also shared.
The workshop discussed that in recent years Non Profit Organizations (NPOs) around the world have faced operational and legal restrictions due to Countering the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) and Anti-Money Laundering (AML) rules and regulations.
The event stressed the Healthy State-NGO Relationship which is only conceivable when both parties share common objectives. The participants suggested that while the NGO sector should safeguard its fundamental freedoms the approach to R-8 compliance should be collaborative to ensure Pakistan is out of the FATF grey list.
The workshop provided in-depth knowledge about the existing registration and NOC mechanisms for NGOs to receive foreign and local funding from EAD, Charity Commission and Security NOC from Home and Tribal Affairs. The workshop enabled a collective sharing of experiences and concerns and provided an opportunity to support policy change.
Akram Khaskheli President, Hari Welfare Association said, “while compliance to Government reasonable regulations is important NGOs should be free because they are part of civil society which is formed by the voluntary participation of individuals who are born with the inalienable right to liberty, life and property”.
Moreover he said the independence of Civil Society Organizations is crucial because they are the external observers to strengthen the rule of law and enforce public accountability. Khaskheli further said, “FATF R8 and IO.10 explicitly state that government measures to mitigate terrorist financing risks should not hamper legitimate charitable activity. NGOs should understand the significance of this core principle and establish dialogue channels with relevant stakeholders”.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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