August 9th 2018
Good night long yumi everyone mo thank you blong akseptem invitesen blong kam tonight.
Mi glad blong stap wetem yumi tonight blong selebretem narafala milestone we Vanuatu I ajivim. Mi wandem joinem tu toktok we I kam aot long Chairman mo Vice Chairman blong NCC blong acknowledgem Tim Efforts blong yumi everyone long ajivmen we yumi selebretem tudei.
Gathering blong tudei hemi blong recognaesem kudfala work mo tim efforts blong yumi everyone blong karem aot Vanuatu long “Grey-List”.
Yumi save se sapos Vanuatu I no mekem komitment blong hem mo kam aot long grey list bae yumi fesem fulap problem long ekonomi blong yumi mo status blong yumi long world.
Long ples ia, i kud mi kivem yumi wan kwik background long issue ia.
Vanuatu hemi ko through long fesfala mutual evaluation blong hem long 2000, sekon wan long 2006 mo third wan nao long 2015.
Since 2000 kasem 2015, Vanuatu hemi mekem sam progress be hemi no enaf long standard we Asia Pacific Group blong Money Laundering (APG) mo Financial Action Task Force (FATF) oli wantem.
Long 2015 mutual evaluation ripot, oli notem se Vanuatu hemi gat 13 Non-Compliant, 17 Partial Compliant, 9 Largely Compliant and only 1 Complaint; hem ia i minim se yumi compliant wetem 10 nomo aot long 40 Recommendesens.
Long 2015 APG Annual Meeting, ol members oli agree mo referem Vanuatu i go long ICRG process mo placem Vanuatu long FATF Grey List. Olsem yumi save, Vanuatu hemi bin fasem ol negatif impakts from listing ia.
Long February 2016, afta we Kavman ia i kam long power, mi bin write long President blong FATF, Mr. Juan Manual Vega-Serrano, blong pledgem kommitment blong Kavman blong work kolosap wetem FATF mo APG blong addressem strategic AML/CTF deficiencies or ol wok we i stap yet blong mekem. Wan yia i pass long 20 January 2017, mi bin rait bakeken long President blong FATF mo assurem hem long sapport blong Kavman blong passem 30 bills long Parliament.
Aot long emia, Parliament i bin pasem13 priority bills long June 2017, mo narafala 17 bills ipass long November/Decemba 2017. Long infomesen blong yumi, State Law i gazettem evri laws ia finis, mo yumi stat blong enforcem finis.
Vanuatu Kavman emi devotem plante risos mo efforts blong mitim ol deficiencies or requirements ia. Mi klad tu blong talem long yumi evriwan se tede Kavman i gat wan effective governance, monitoring mo reporting structure in place. Apart long Vanuatu Financial Intelligence Unit, we emi responsible plante long AML/CTF, yumi gat National Coordination Committee (NCC), wetem two narafala working groups, long saed blong supervisory mo law enforcement area. Tufala working groups ia oli wok wetem ol Kavman agencies long saed blong implementation mo oli report long NCC.
Mi klad tu blong lukim se yumi no depen nomo long FATF mo APG, be ol Kavman agencies oli kontinue blong kondaktem ol international awareness through long letters we oli sendem igo long diferent foreign Kavman agencies mo international bodies blong infomem olgeta long ol important changes we yumi mekem long 30 legislations, ol efforts we yumi stap karem aot, mo importance blong save exchangem infomesen wetem olgeta. Hemia hemi part blong Recommendesen 40 blong ol FATF Recommendations
Mi notem bikfla prokress mo kommitment we ol Kavman agencies oli stap mekem blong start implementem work ia mo through long riport blong Joint Group Onsite Review Team hemi bin recognaesem effort ia tu.
Folem onsite review we Join Group Team hemi bin mekem long May yia ia, oli bin priperem wan ripot we oli bin diskasem wetem ICRG mo long FATF AnnualMeeting long June yia ia. Long taem ia, FATF hemi rimuvum Vanuatu long Grey List.
Long manis Julae long yia ia nomo, Kavman emi bin sendem wan delegation igo long Kathmandu long Nepal blong atendem APG Annual Miting mo deliverem wan statement long behaf long Kavman.
Olsem Head blong Kavman, mi praod long positive ajivmen ia we i happen long wan short period of time nomo from collective tim effort blong yumi evriwan:
· Thank you long Vanuatu Kavman, Ol members blong Parliament (Kavman mo Opposition) long political will mo support blong olketa
· Thank you long Stae Law Office from hard work blong olketa blong helpem yumi wetem 30 bills we I ko through long Parliament
· Thank you long AMLCTF National Coordinating Committee, Supervisory mo Law Enforcement Working Group from technical wisdom mo advice blong olketa
· Thank you VFIU blong provaedem legal assistance mo secretariat support long work ia.
· Thank you tu I ko long ol narafala supporting Kavman Agencies, mo ol Private Sectors.
· Thank you tu I ko long external development partners blong yumi olsem: APG Secretariat; FATF; ADB; World Bank; New Zealand Kavman; Australian Kavman; Kavman of the United States; Kavman of the People’s Republic of China, The South Korean Kavman; The European Union; Commonwealth Secretariat, Members of the APG, and Chinese Taipei
Mi olsem Hed blong kavman, mi wantem tekem janis ia blong conveyem long bihaf blong Kavman mo Pipol blong Vanuatu wan bigfala thank yu long guidance, help, mo support blong yufala throughout long process ia.
Vanuatu’s significant achievements are attributable notonly to its own efforts, but through the invaluable contributions of the APG Secretariat; FATF; ADB; World Bank; New Zealand Government; Australian Government; Government of the United States; Government of the People’s Republic of China, The South Korean Government; The European Union; Commonwealth Secretariat, Members of the APG, and Chinese Taipei.
May I take this time on behalf of the Government and People of Vanuatu to thank you whole-heatedly for your guidance, assistance and support throughout the process.
We kindly ask that you continue to lend us your support.
Les progrès notables du Vanuatu sont imputables non seulement à ses propres efforts, mais à travers des contributions inestimables du Groupe Asie/Pacifique sur le blanchiment d’argent (GAP); le Groupe d’Action financière (GAFI); la Banque Asiatique de Développement (BASD); la Banque Mondiale; le Gouvernement Australien; le Gouvernement Américain; le Gouvernement de la République populaire de Chine; le Gouvernement sud-coréen; l’Union Européenne; le Secrétariat du Commonwealth, les membres du groupe Asie/Pacifique sur le blanchiment d’argent (GAP), et Taipei Chinois.
Permettez-moi de saisir cette occasion au nom du Gouvernement et du Peuple du Vanuatu à vous remercier pour vos conseils, vos assistances et vos appuis tout au long du processus.
Nous vous prions de bien vouloir continuer à prêter votre soutien.
Mi wantem infomem yumi evriwan tu se long APG Annual meeting, APG, FATF representative mo sam APG members oli pasem congratulation message blong olgeta long Vanuatu from ajivmen ia.
Wetem achievement ia, emi no mas end long ples ia. Yumi gat yet real challenge blong hao nao yumi save sustainem implementation blong ol new laws we Parliament i passem long said blong AML/CTF.
Yumi harem finis, while APG hemi endorsem rimuval blong yumi long Grey List by FATF, hemi still kipim yumi long enhanced follow-up we hemi minim se bae yumi mas provaedem nekis Follow-Up Report long 31 January 2019.
Followup ripot ia bae i capturem ol progress we bae yumi mekem folem strategic plan we yumi bin provaedem long taem blong onsite review long May yia ia. So i gat bigfala wok i stap yet. Mi askem long yumi evriwan blong yumi no become too complacent, be instead kontinue blong satisfaem ol obligations blong yumi long FATF.
Long mi, hemi beginning blong wan journey mo nao ia, hemi taem blong ril work. Yumi wandem lukim se Kavman hemi karem aot full implementesen blong 30 bills we Vanuatu Parliament I passem.
Yumi wandem lukim effective participation blong ol stakeholders blong work olsem wan tim blong ensurim se Vanuatu hemi wan compliant kauntri long enforcement blong olketa legislation blong hem.
Yumi save ko back long grey list tomorrow sapos yumi no enforsem ol laws ia we yumi yet yumi passem long parliament.
So mi apil long yumi everyone blong tekem work ia seriously- attendance blong you long NCC mo working group hemi very important inkludim work blong you long agencies mo department blong you.
Be tunaet, yumi wantem blong reflect long ol gudfala wok we yumi mekem finis mo achievmen we oli rimuvum Vanuatu long Grey List. Olsem Hed blong Kavman blong Vanuatu, mi wantem acknowledgem yumi evriwan long bigfala wok we yumi save kamaot long Grey List blong FATF.
-Thank yu-