Pacific Regional FATF Standards Training Course, 4-8 March 2019, Auckland New Zealand

A regional training course for Pacific members of the APG on the FATF standards was held in Auckland, New Zealand from 4 - 8 March 2019.

The five-day course provided Pacific Island delegates with practical insights into key areas of the FATF recommendations, including:

• Risk in-context;
• International cooperation;
• Risk-based supervision;
• Preventative measures;
• Financial intelligence and investigations;
• Counter-terrorism financing, including NPOs and implementation of targeted financial sanctions;
• Counter-proliferation financing; and
• Beneficial ownership.

The course included practical exercises reflecting common challenges faced by competent AML/CFT-related authorities. Delegates were actively engaged with the issues and exercises with good teamwork displayed across multi-disciplinary teams from various jurisdictions.

The course was jointly hosted by New Zealand's Ministry of Justice, FATF Training and Research Institute (TREIN) and the APG.

Funds from the Pacific AML/CFT Capacity Development Programme sponsored 11 delegates from all APG Pacific Island jurisdictions, and 3 experts from FATF TREIN and the APG. An expert from the NZ Police provided insight on investigations and asset confiscation.

The APG thanks all those involved in the workshop.