Senior Parliamentary Secretary Sun Xueling Leads Official Delegation to the “No Money for Terror” Ministerial Conference on Counter-Terrorism Financing in Melbourne, Australia

1.     Ms Sun Xueling, Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of National Development, attended the “No Money for Terror” Ministerial Conference on Counter-Terrorism Financing from 7 to 8 November 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. She was accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Commercial Affairs Department of the Singapore Police Force, the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the Charities Unit of the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

2.     Representatives from more than sixty countries attended the conference and discussed ways to tackle the exploitation of social media and other platforms by terrorists to raise funds. This can include the exploitation of not-for-profit organisations as well as virtual assets such as virtual currencies. International organisations and private sector partners were also present at the conference. The active participation of these countries and organisations underscores the global commitment to the fight against terrorism and terrorism financing, as well as the importance of public-private partnership.

3.     At the first session, Senior Parliamentary Secretary Sun spoke about the importance of staying abreast of terrorists’ operational and financing methods. She highlighted that the global threat of terrorism and terrorism financing must be addressed by international cooperation. In this regard, the collaborative efforts between Singapore’s security, intelligence and law enforcement agencies with foreign counterparts have been crucial in preventing terrorist activities. She also emphasised that Singapore has been acting against terrorism financing, and since July 2016, have prosecuted 11 individuals.

4.     During her visit, Senior Parliamentary Secretary Sun met with Australia’s Minister of Home Affairs Peter Dutton and Australia’s Attorney-General Christian Porter. They reaffirmed the warm ties between Singapore and Australia, and the need for cooperation on security. She also engaged counterparts from other jurisdictions, and international bodies, such as the Financial Action Taskforce, to discuss the changing security landscape and emerging trends in terrorism financing.