PARIS — Saudi Arabia, represented by the Saudi Central Bank (SAMA), chaired the annual meeting of the Steering Committee of the IMF Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Thematic Fund for Capacity Development, held in Paris on Saturday.The meeting, organized by SAMA, was attended by representatives of the fund’s 12 donor partners: Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Italy, in addition to representatives of the IMF. Several countries and organizations also participated as observers, most notably the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the World Bank, and the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units.Established in 2009, the fund is a joint initiative of donor countries aimed at strengthening AML/CFT frameworks and safeguarding the integrity and stability of the financial and economic systems, in addition to financing technical assistance and capacity building programs in the field of AML/CFT. The Fund focuses on supporting beneficiary countries—particularly those requiring technical assistance to combat ML/FT crimes—across different regions of the world, in accordance with each country’s priorities and needs.The fund contributes to strengthening the legislative, regulatory, and supervisory frameworks of beneficiary countries and developing the capacities of the competent authorities, thereby supporting the integrity and stability of their financial systems, enhancing transparency and governance, and improving compliance with relevant international standards.The steering committee, composed of representatives of donor countries and IMF officials, is responsible for determining the Fund’s strategic direction and contributing to the development of its policies and priorities. This includes approving the annual work plan and budget, reviewing performance and progress, and discussing projects and initiatives on the agenda of its periodic meetings.
