Luanda — The Minister of the Interior, Manuel Homem, reaffirmed, on Friday, Angola's commitment to actively cooperating with the International Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in the fight against money laundering, the financing of terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Speaking at the closing session of the Regional Workshop "Training for Strengthening the Investigation of Cases of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing in Southern Africa", the minister highlighted the reinforcement of regional and international cooperation, so that no country can face the threats associated with organized crime in isolation.

According to the Minister, the initiative is aligned with the main international and regional instruments, including the FATF recommendations, the United Nations Security Council resolutions on combating terrorism, the African Union's Agenda 2063 and the SADC cooperation mechanisms.

He noted that the meeting aimed to strengthen national financial and criminal investigation capabilities, contributing to the effective implementation of these instruments and to the reduction of systemic vulnerabilities that pose risks to the collective security of Southern African countries.

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Among the main gains of the meeting, he highlighted the promotion of operational convergence in matters of compliance and prevention of money laundering and terrorist financing.

He highlighted the progressive harmonization of investigation procedures and practices as fundamental to avoid institutional asymmetries that could be exploited by transnational criminal networks.

For Manuel Homem, the initiative represents progress in strengthening the democratic rule of law, as well as consolidating an environment of trust in institutions, essential for investment, financial transparency and the credibility of the National Economic and Banking System.

He considered holding the workshop a contribution to the promotion of peace and international security, by bringing together public security officials and experts committed to combating transnational crimes in the region.

The event brought together experts from the law enforcement bodies of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Member States and representatives from the Institute of Security Studies and the Interpol Regional Bureau.