Money is the prime reason for engaging in almost any type of criminal activity. Money-laundering is the method by which criminals disguise the illegal origins of their wealth and protect their assets, fueling in turn corruption and organized crime, terrorism and other illegal activities.
Organized criminal groups launder the proceeds of drug trafficking and commodity smuggling while terrorist groups use money-laundering channels to obtain cash to buy arms and finance their activities. The social consequences of money laundering are far reaching and potentially highly destabilizing for a state. The ability to prevent, detect and combat money laundering permits to identify criminals and the predicate offences from which money is derived.
International efforts to curb money laundering and the financing of terrorism are the reflection of a twofold strategy: 1. attacking the economic power of criminal organizations and individuals in order to weaken them by preventing them benefiting from, or making use of, illicit proceeds and, 2. forestalling the evil effects of the "criminal businesses" on the legal economy.
Sub-Programme 2, in line with the UNODC mandate in Anti-Money-Laundering/Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) implements capacity building activities that cover both traditional and new means of money-laundering techniques and illicit financial flows including prevention of the abuse of money or value transfer services (MVTS) (e.g. hawala and other similar service providers" (HOSSPs), investigation of the misuse of cryptocurrencies, blockchain, Darknet, contactless payments, disruption of illicit financial flows and others. Furthermore, SP 2 provides advisory services to States and supports the development of regional synergies among financial intelligence units (FIUs) through regional FIU to FIU meetings, the strengthening of a regional AML group of experts as well as through supporting the signing of memorandum of understanding (MoU) on anti-money laundering/countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT).
In the second phase of the programme SP 2 has scaled up its AML/CFT efforts by increasing cooperation not only with relevant UNODC programmes such as the Global Programme against Money Laundering, Proceeds of Crime and Financing of Terrorism (GMPL) and the EU Cocaine Programme (CRIMJUST), but also with external partners including the EU Action Against Drugs and Organised Crime (EU-ACT), the Eurasian Group (EAG), the Central Asian Regional Information and Coordination Centre for Combating Illicit Trafficking of Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances and their Precursors (CARICC), the Peoples Bank of China
Activities