22nd APG Annual meeting, Canberra, Australia

Over 520 senior delegates from 46 jurisdictions and 13 international organisations came together in Canberra, Australia during the week of 18 – 23 August 2019 to convene the APG’s 22nd annual meeting and annual technical assistance forum. The event was chaired by Deputy Commissioner Leanne Close of the Australian Federal Police and Mr Abu Hena Mohd. Razee Hassan, Head of the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit.

During the week, APG members adopted six significant mutual evaluation reports. The reports - for China; Hong Kong, China; Pakistan; the Philippines; Solomon Islands; and Chinese Taipei - were analysed and discussed in detail over two and a half days and will now be subject to post-plenary quality and consistency review prior to publication.  Final publication on the APG website is expected in early October 2019.  The APG also adopted a number of follow-up reports for APG members and for joint APG/FATF members and also agreed on revised evaluation procedures for the coming year reflecting recent changes to global procedures.

APG members adopted a CFT Operational Plan as part of a global strategy to address the concerns related to terrorist financing. Also discussed and adopted were the following typologies reports:

• APG/EAG report on Terrorism Financing & Proceeds of Crime (including Organised Crime). The report identifies techniques and trends associated with the use of proceeds of crime including from organised crime for financing terrorism. The report may be published in November 2018.
• The 2019 APG Yearly Typologies Report includes approximately 135 cases received from 19 member jurisdictions and APG observers.

Members agreed on a new joint project with the Alliance for Financial Stability with Information Technology  to develop a workshop to be held in early 2020 on the application of FATF Guidance on Digital KYC to the Asia-Pacific region following its adoption and publication by the FATF in February 2020.

APG delegates also participated in two technical seminars: one on ML and TF issues relating to virtual assets (digital currency, etc); and the other on international cooperation issues among AML/CFT supervisory authorities.

The APG’s annual technical assistance forum held in tandem with the annual meeting included 30 meetings over five days, comprised of 26 individual sessions between members and donors of AML/CFT technical assistance. Three sub-regional meetings were also convened. The discussions in these meetings led to important information-sharing and coordination mechanisms among the APG’s members, observers, donors and providers.

The APG Co-Chairs extend their gratitude to Australia, Canada, China, New Zealand, Chinese Taipei and the United States for sponsoring many delegates to attend the meeting. The Co-Chairs also thank the Australian government, in particular the Australian Federal Police, AUSTRAC, Home Affairs and DFAT, for hosting the meeting this year at the Realm Hotel in Barton, ACT.

APG