Aligning Security and Civic Space

To stem illicit financial flows that fuel terrorism and crime, governments have passed and implemented numerous laws that either inadvertently or intentionally undermine civil society. This trend is being fueled in large part by policies that are generated in the United States that have transnational implications for governments, the private/banking sector, and in turn, civil society around the world. iCon members, together with experts from ministries of finance/treasury, the banking sector, defense and law enforcement agencies, civil society, and the philanthropic community, will develop a better understanding of the impact of anti-money laundering and combatting the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) efforts on the work of civil society actors, both formal and informal. Against the backdrop of ongoing efforts to cut off funding to ISIS and other terrorist organizations, iCon members will recommend strategies for protecting the legitimate space for peaceful civil society while preventing terrorist abuse of the non-profit sector.