Two groups of non-governmental organisations in Azerbaijan benefited from consecutive workshops on 25-26 February designed to strengthen their understanding of measures to address money laundering and terrorist financing risks in the non-profit sector. The Council of Europe organised the workshops in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice and the Financial Monitoring Service, fostering a coordinated approach. Representatives from both authorities actively participated in the sessions, engaging with non-profit organisations and contributing to the discussions.
The sessions focused on potential threats from criminal actors misusing non-profit organisations for illicit financial activities. Participants received practical guidance on how such abuses can occur and the importance of remaining vigilant of risks.
Drawing on international expertise, the workshops highlighted the need for strong internal control systems within the organisations and the application of targeted, proportionate safeguards following a risk-based approach to reduce vulnerabilities.
To make the discussions practical, participants reviewed real-world typologies and illustrative cases of illicit financing involving non-profit organisations. These examples helped them better understand the nature of risks, how they can appear in practice and what the best way to address them.
In addition to developing the capacities, overall, the workshops also served as an important outreach effort. They reinforced the need to continuously raise awareness among non-profit organisations about the existent risks as well as procedures and policies that could be helpful to protect them from being exploited for money laundering and terrorist financing purposes.
This activity is part of the European Union and Council of Europe joint programme “Partnership for Good Governance”, co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe, in the framework of the project "Preventing and fighting economic crime in Azerbaijan.”