Mauritania’s Efforts to Combat Terrorist Financing through Non-Profit Organizations

Mauritania has been working to strengthen its measures against terrorist financing (TF) by addressing the vulnerabilities of non-profit organizations (NPOs). In this article, we will examine the country’s efforts in risk assessment, laws and regulations, outreach and awareness programs, supervision and control, and conclude with areas for improvement.

Risk Assessment

Mauritania’s National Risk Assessment concluded that there is a low threat posed by terrorist entities to NPOs. No cases were identified where terrorist actors abused NPOs, indicating a lack of risk in this area.

Laws and Regulations

To address the shortcomings related to NPOs, Mauritania amended its Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Law (No. 017-2019) and the applied texts thereof under Decree 197-2019. Each amendment included an independent section to address the vulnerabilities of NPOs.

Key Changes:

• Supervisory authorities must undertake supervision and control over the implementation of provisions related to NPOs.
• Effective, proportionate, and dissuasive sanctions are provided for in Article 44 of the same law.

Outreach and Awareness Programs

A protocol was signed between the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) and NPO supervisory authorities to promote outreach and awareness programs about vulnerabilities in NPOs that can be misused for TF. Work is ongoing with NPOs to develop best practices to prevent TF risks and vulnerabilities.

Supervision and Control

Effective supervision and control over NPOs are crucial to preventing the misuse of these organizations for terrorist financing. Mauritania has implemented measures to ensure this, including:

• Article 28/1 of Law 017-2019 stipulates that supervisory authorities should undertake supervision and control over the implementation of provisions related to NPOs.
• Effective, proportionate, and dissuasive sanctions are provided for in Article 44 of the same law.

Conclusion

Although Mauritania has made significant efforts to address the risks associated with NPOs and combat terrorist financing, there are still areas that need improvement. To enhance its measures, Mauritania should:

• Provide information on how terrorist actors abuse NPOs (Criterion 8.1 b).
• Evidence of execution of outreach programs to raise and maintain awareness among NPOs (8.2 b).
• Evidence of work with NPOs to develop best practices to address TF risk (8.2 c).
• Enhancement of RBA supervision over NPOs (Criterion 8.3).

By addressing these areas, Mauritania can further strengthen its measures against terrorist financing and ensure the integrity of its non-profit organizations.