Nonprofit Organizations and the Combatting of Terrorism Financing

One of the ways in which terrorist organisations raise and transfer funds, is by using non-profit organisations (NPOs). Ever since the adoption of the Special Recommendation VIII on the abuse of NPOs for Terrorism Financing purposes by the FATF in 2001, countries have struggled to find a proper way to address this potential terrorism financing risk. In many important ways however, the work of NPOs deal with the conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism, so it is essential that in trying to address one aspect of the terrorist threat – terrorism financing- we do not inadvertently diminish the impact of other ways of tackling the issue.

This article argues that in discussing the threat and how to address it, policy-makers need to be specific, not tainting the whole sector with the same brush. Virtually all governments already interact with the NPO sector and those avenues should be used for dealing with this issue- it is inefficient and ultimately counterproductive to devise an entirely new regulatory framework. The ultimate objective is to enhance the transparency of the sector- the people in charge of NPOs, their sources of funds and particularly the way those funds are spent. That aim serves a much wider purpose than just countering terrorism financing and touches on many aspects of civil society good governance that the sector itself and others have been debating for a long time. When devising public policy on this issue the contribution of the NPO sector to fighting terrorism be recognized and used to its full advantage. Moreover the sector’s own stake in being “clean” and being so regarded by others should be acknowledged, thus making them an indispensable partner in drawing up such policies. For the same reason, self-regulation should be considered.