Laws to combat terrorism and money laundering examined

Counter-terrorism and anti-money laundering initiatives are being addressed at a Meeting of Senior Officials of Commonwealth Law Ministries between 1 and 3 October 2007.

The meeting, which is taking place at the Commonwealth Secretariat's headquarters in London, is looking at strategies to combat counterfeiting and piracy of intellectual property products. International co-operation in criminal matters, threats posed by financing terrorism and money laundering, and the proliferation of small arms are also being discussed.

Attorneys-General, Solicitors-General, Permanent Secretaries and other senior officials from 34 Commonwealth countries are attending the meeting.

Recommendations from the meeting will be passed on to Law Ministers at the Commonwealth Law Ministers meeting in Edinburgh next July.

In her opening address, Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General Florence Mugasha said threats to global peace and security "have evoked a concerted Commonwealth response, to strengthen international co-operation, mutual legal assistance, counter-terrorism, and anti-money laundering."

She added that many of the topics discussed by delegates at the meeting are "nuts and bolts" issues, which Commonwealth countries need to address on a daily basis. Noting that many of the legal challenges are ongoing, she urged delegates to continue examining the issues in innovative ways.

The Legal and Constitutional Affairs Division of the Secretariat has asked Senior Officials to devise strategies in other key areas of law such as juvenile justice, private international law, anti-corruption and enhanced international co-operation.

The Secretariat has increased the number of training and capacity building programmes in several areas such as legislative drafting and the administration of justice to help Commonwealth states meet the challenges of delivering justice to their citizens.