On 19 May 2026, Assistant Secretary-General Natalia Gherman, Executive Director of the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED), took part in the Fifth Ministerial Conference No Money for Terror, hosted by France as part of its G7 presidency. The discussions built upon the detailed findings of the Comprehensive Update on Terrorism Financing Risks, the landmark report of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) prepared under the leadership of experts from CTED and the French Treasury.
Bringing together over 70 ministerial-level delegations, the conference marked an opportunity to take stock of progress made since the launch of the No Money for Terror process in 2018, and to reaffirm international commitment to countering terrorism financing. Participants reflected on achievements over recent years, including in the context of the implementation of Security Council resolution .
In her remarks, CTED’s Executive Director emphasized that territorial control by terrorist groups enables various forms of extortion from local populations and businesses or take more violent forms of coercion further reinforcing terrorist tactics. ASG Gherman also recalled the findings of CTED’s latest annual assessment of gaps related to countering the financing of terrorism warning that terrorist organizations can take advantage of weak State capacities such as the inability to assert authority in certain remote areas, insufficient border controls, weak government services, lack of infrastructure, allowing them to profit from large-scale illegal activities. Fighting such practices should take place in the framework of broader policies enhancing resilience to crime and terrorism.
, French President Emmanuel Macron described terrorist financing as a constantly evolving threat that cannot be addressed through isolated national responses. He called for full implementation of relevant Security Council resolutions, including resolutions , and and . Warning against a financial “Wild West”, he stressed the urgent need for tighter regulation to prevent virtual assets from being exploited by terrorists and criminals to bypass traditional financial safeguards.
The Conference concluded with the adoption of a joint statement reaffirming the international community’s commitment to strengthening collective efforts against terrorism financing.
Additional resources:
- The statement of ASG Natalia Gherman is available here.
- The statement for the 5th No Money for Terror ministerial conference is available here.
- The statement of the President of the French Republic is available .
Media coverage:
- (?lysée, 19 May 2026)
- (France in the U.S., 20 May 2026)
- (Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industrial, Energy and Digital Sovereignty, 21 May 2026)
- (LeMonde, 20 May 2026)