Back Towards an improved framework for transparency of beneficial ownership in Azerbaijan

Towards an improved framework for transparency of beneficial ownership in Azerbaijan

The Partnership for Good Governance II (2019-2021) project against money laundering and terrorism financing in Azerbaijan continues to support the national authorities in their efforts to align the national legislation with international standards and best practices geared to anti-money laundering and combatting terrorist financing. Enhanced measures to ensure systematic identification of the ultimate beneficial owner of any property or assets are part of these requirements, and of the project’s objectives.

Following an initial consultation meeting on the Azerbaijani beneficial ownership framework in December 2020, the project developed a legal opinion with recommendations in this area. With a view to further discuss the findings and recommendations provided in the legal opinion on the beneficial ownership legislative framework, a second consultation meeting was organised with the representatives of the Financial Monitoring Service, the State Tax Service under the Ministry of Economy and the Central Bank on 3 February 2021. An effective beneficial ownership (BO) structure and examples of successful solutions were presented to the national stakeholders, including a number of key elements to be considered when developing a national beneficial ownership disclosure framework.

Following the presentation, in-depth, article by article discussions were conducted to examine all the missing elements in the current draft amendments to relevant legislation and address challenging points raised by the national authorities. Definitions for specific terminology like trusts, legal arrangements and other concepts, creation of BO registry and collection of BO information, practical tools for BO identification and verification, necessary cross-checks, compliance and effectiveness were important points discussed during the active and productive exchanges through videoconference. Taking these discussions into account, the final legal opinion will reflect key aspects with the aim to enhance the government’s efforts in complying with ultimate beneficial ownership standards and measures, which are becoming increasingly important internationally, within the global fight against economic crime.

This activity is part of the project “Strengthening anti-money laundering and asset recovery in Azerbaijan”, funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe in their Partnership for Good Governance (2019-2021).

Azerbaijan 3 February 2021
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Strasbourg, France Strasbourg, 1-2 July 2024
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Addressing hate speech and hate crime: regional gathering of the network of Equality Bodies from the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership Region

A two-day workshop on addressing hate speech and hate crime took place at the premises of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, involving Equality bodies from the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership regions.  The event supported by the EU and Council of Europe, gathered 50 representatives from both regions who discussed and exchanged on the best practices, measures and common challenges when addressing hate speech and hate crime. Through monitoring and reporting, policy advocacy, raising awareness and supporting victims equality bodies play a fundamental role in protecting human rights and ensuring that all individuals are treated equally.

In her opening remarks, Angela Longo, Head of Anti-discrimination Co-operation Unit, Council of Europe, underlined the significant progress in engaging with Equality Bodies through this network, regularly exchanging best practices and addressing the challenges of hatred and intolerance in societies. She highlighted that this new chapter of discussion delves into the grey area between hate speech and hate crime, addressing issues of incitement and biases,

Representatives from Equality Bodies had the opportunity to discuss and enhance their knowledge on the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers Recommendation to member States on combating hate crime, adopted on 7th May 2024, as well as gain a clearer understanding of EU standards in the field of hate crime. Moreover, participants engaged in exchanges with peers from the Spanish Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia (OBERAXE), who shared insights on addressing hate speech in the public discourse. The National Office Against Racial Discrimination (UNAR) in Italy provided practical examples for developing counter-narratives and raising awareness initiatives.

They also explored opportunities to advocate for legislative reform, foster multisectoral co-operation, enhance data collection, and overall improve national mechanisms to counter hate crimes.

This seminar was organised within the action “Promoting equality and combating racism and intolerance in the Western Balkans” and the project “Promoting equality and non-discrimination: towards more resilient and inclusive societies” – co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe  under the joint Programmes “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” and “Partnership for Good Governance”.

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