Anti-Money Laundering Programme
PRESS STATEMENT
55/06
21st September 2006
NEW PACIFIC ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING PROGRAMME (PALP)
TARGETS IN-COUNTRY CAPACITY-BUILDING
The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat has established a Pacific Anti-Money Laundering Programme (PALP) to help counter money laundering and terrorist financing in the region.
The programme is a major step towards assisting the 14 Forum Island Countries with their national anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regimes, to comply with international standards and relevant United Nations Conventions and Security Council Resolutions, says Forum Secretariat Secretary General, Mr Greg Urwin. The initiative will further advance the Pacific Plan's development priority of regional security.
The Pacific Plan, with its range of priority initiatives under the four inter-related goals of economic growth, sustainable development, good governance and security, was adopted by the Forum Leaders at their annual meeting last October.
PALP is a joint initiative between the Forum Secretariat, the United States Government through the Department of State's Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INF), and the United Nations Global Programme Against Money Laundering (UNGPML) in Vienna.
Newly appointed PALP Co-ordinator, Mr Kosi Latu, says the programme will be delivered through targeted regional technical assistance and training, supported by three resident mentors who will provide in-country guidance and on-site training. Two of the mentors -Fitzroy Dray-ton(Legal mentor) and John Ferguson (Law enforcement mentor) left Fiji earlier this week after spending a week of orientation at the Pacific Island Forum Secretariat, to take up residence in Tonga and Vanuatu respectively.
We look forward to drawing from the valuable expertise of our in-country mentors to help stakeholders make use of the broader regional assistance available to them, Mr Latu says. One of my priorities now will be the development of a strategic plan which will facilitate the implementation of training initiatives and targeted capacity-building with a practical, hands-on approach at the country level.
Before being appointed as Coordinator for PALP, Mr Latu spent 11 years working with the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, initially as the Deputy Director of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Division. He was later appointed Special Adviser (Legal), then Head of the Economic and Legal Section of the Special Advisory Services Division.
Mr Latu was also the anti-money laundering officer for the Commonwealth Secretariat and mainly responsible for facilitating assistance to member countries to develop strategies to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.
Before joining the Commonwealth Secretariat, he worked for several years as a prosecutor with the Attorney Generals office in Samoa.
PALP is funded by the US Department of State's Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INF).
(Ends)
For more information, please contact Mr Kosi Latu, the PALP Coordinator on phone 679 331 2600
55/06
21st September 2006
NEW PACIFIC ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING PROGRAMME (PALP)
TARGETS IN-COUNTRY CAPACITY-BUILDING
The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat has established a Pacific Anti-Money Laundering Programme (PALP) to help counter money laundering and terrorist financing in the region.
The programme is a major step towards assisting the 14 Forum Island Countries with their national anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing regimes, to comply with international standards and relevant United Nations Conventions and Security Council Resolutions, says Forum Secretariat Secretary General, Mr Greg Urwin. The initiative will further advance the Pacific Plan's development priority of regional security.
The Pacific Plan, with its range of priority initiatives under the four inter-related goals of economic growth, sustainable development, good governance and security, was adopted by the Forum Leaders at their annual meeting last October.
PALP is a joint initiative between the Forum Secretariat, the United States Government through the Department of State's Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INF), and the United Nations Global Programme Against Money Laundering (UNGPML) in Vienna.
Newly appointed PALP Co-ordinator, Mr Kosi Latu, says the programme will be delivered through targeted regional technical assistance and training, supported by three resident mentors who will provide in-country guidance and on-site training. Two of the mentors -Fitzroy Dray-ton(Legal mentor) and John Ferguson (Law enforcement mentor) left Fiji earlier this week after spending a week of orientation at the Pacific Island Forum Secretariat, to take up residence in Tonga and Vanuatu respectively.
We look forward to drawing from the valuable expertise of our in-country mentors to help stakeholders make use of the broader regional assistance available to them, Mr Latu says. One of my priorities now will be the development of a strategic plan which will facilitate the implementation of training initiatives and targeted capacity-building with a practical, hands-on approach at the country level.
Before being appointed as Coordinator for PALP, Mr Latu spent 11 years working with the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, initially as the Deputy Director of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Division. He was later appointed Special Adviser (Legal), then Head of the Economic and Legal Section of the Special Advisory Services Division.
Mr Latu was also the anti-money laundering officer for the Commonwealth Secretariat and mainly responsible for facilitating assistance to member countries to develop strategies to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.
Before joining the Commonwealth Secretariat, he worked for several years as a prosecutor with the Attorney Generals office in Samoa.
PALP is funded by the US Department of State's Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INF).
(Ends)
For more information, please contact Mr Kosi Latu, the PALP Coordinator on phone 679 331 2600
