Since 9/11, measures designed to criminalize financial support for terrorist organizations are increasingly linked to laws and regulations governing charities and nonprofits. The Financial Action Task Force, a global standard-setting body on anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing, sets recommendations for member states, which in turn promulgate laws and policies to combat illicit finance. In the U.S., the Department of Treasury is responsible for these programs.
Under this framework, repressive regimes and financial institutions can restrict the legitimate activities of civil society through the imposition of extensive legal and financial requirements. The important work that civil society organizations do to address the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism must be protected.
This page contains information on many aspects of Counter-terrorist Financing, including on the Financial Action Task Force and U.S. Treasury.
Featured Resources
C&SN-Commissioned Report Offers Recommendations for NGO Due Diligence and Risk Mitigation
April 12, 2021 In partnership with the London School of Economics and Political Science, a new report commissioned by the Charity & Security Network titled “NGOs’ Due Diligence and Risk Mitigation: A Holistic Approach” takes
19 Years Later EO 13224 Continues to Block Humanitarian Aid. It’s Time for an Update
by Kay Guinane Nineteen years ago today – Sept. 23, 2001- President George W. Bush signed Executive Order 13224, an emergency declaration responding to the 9/11 attacks that relied on sanctions authorities in the International
National Counter-Terrorist Finance Strategy Cites Important Role of Charities
In an update to its National Strategy for Combating Terrorist and Other Illicit Financing, the U.S. Treasury Department cites the important role of charities in countering terrorism, emphasizes the use of the risk-based approach, and
Abstract: Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism
In Untangling a Marriage of Convenience: Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism, authors Tracey Durner and Danielle Cotter argue that, although anti-money laundering (AML) and countering the financing of terrorism (CFT) efforts have
Treasury Updates National Terrorist Financing Risk Assessment, Finding Measures to Protect Charities Largely Effective
The Department of Treasury published an update to its 2015 National Terrorist Financing Risk Assessment (NTFRA) on Dec. 20, 2018 as part of a new National Strategy for Combating Terrorist and Other Illicit Financing, which also covers money laundering and nuclear
UNOSC Issues Terror Financing Risk Assessment Guidance
A guidance manual issued by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime in June 2018 provides a methodology for member states conducting terrorist financing risk assessments. The document, Guidance manual for Member States