OEA - CP - Resolución CP CSH SA 400

PERMANENT COUNCIL OF THE OEA/Ser.G

ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES CP/CSH/SA.400/25 29 January 2026

COMMITTEE ON HEMISPHERIC SECURITY Original: Spanish Summary of the meeting of January 22, 20261 / Time: 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Place: Simón Bolívar Room Presiding over this regular meeting of the Committee was the Chair, Ambassador Ana Irene Delgado, Permanent Representative of Panama to the OAS.

The statutory quorum was established with the presence of representatives of Argentina, Bahamas, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, United States, and Uruguay. The audio recording of the meeting may be obtained from the following link: http://scm.oas.org/audios/2026/CP-CSH-2357_01-22-2026.mp3 Before moving on to the substantive issues, the Chair noted the importance of moving forward with implementation of the new structure for considering substantive issues, with a view to promoting meetings that foster open and smooth discussion among delegates, experts invited by distinguished member state and permanent observer delegations, and the Secretariat. This is all intended to advance technical assistance and execution of hemispheric security-related programs and projects.

1. Adoption of the draft order of business.

The Committee adopted the order of business, document CP/CSH-2357/26.

2. Progress and challenges in the implementation of programs and projects on combating transnational organized crime, particularly with regard to financial crimes Current Context Guest expert Esteban Fullin, Executive Director of the Latin American Financial Action Group

(GAFILAT), spoke about the current context of the fight against transnational organized crime, particularly with regard to financial crimes. The PowerPoint presentation is available from the following link.

1 . The statements sent in by the delegations are hyperlinked in this document, in the original language.- 2 -

(GAFILAT), spoke about the current context of the fight against transnational organized crime, particularly with regard to financial crimes. The PowerPoint presentation is available from the following link.

1 . The statements sent in by the delegations are hyperlinked in this document, in the original language.- 2Progress and challenges Next, Mr. John Grajales, Technical Specialist with the Department against Transnational Organized Crime (DTOC), gave an update on progress made and challenges regarding this issue. The PowerPoint presentation is available from the following link. The technical area report on the subject and the concept paper of the meeting were issued as documents CP/CSH-2355/26 and CP/CSH-2356/26, respectively. Discussion on the topic The Committee held a discussion with the member state delegations and the permanent observer delegations on possible support mechanisms to advance the topic. The delegations of Argentina, Brazil (the delegation’s comments and the PowerPoint presentation made by the expert can be found at the following links: comment Delegation, PowerPoint), Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Guyana, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Dominican Republic , Trinidad and Tobago and Uruguay spoke about the issue under consideration. The statements received are hyperlinked to the name of each country. The Committee took note of the presentations and of the delegations’ comments. Thanking the delegations for their comments, the Chair requested their assistance in seeking experts from their respective capitals to participate in future topic-specific meetings, the aim being to strengthen the technical and substantive dialogue. She explained that this is why there will be links to meetings so as to facilitate virtual participation by experts whom the delegations decide to invite. She further noted that participation of experts will be limited to those who have been formally invited by delegations to the OAS. Since the Committee is made up of member state representations,

participating experts must ensure they have the consent of the relevant delegation. The Chair went on to state that the technical area report, concept paper, and draft order of business for each meeting would continue to be issued in due time to ensure that delegations have the necessary information sufficiently ahead of time. This will allow the discussion to focus on current progress and challenges, so as to identify opportunities for greater cooperation in the different areas of multidimensional security in the Hemisphere. And lastly, she requested the distinguished delegations to assist by submitting, as far in advance as possible, information for each meeting on the activities member states are pursuing in relation to the subject under consideration, in an effort to have the discussion focus on identifying mechanisms to help improved coordination and regional cooperation. Conclusions At the end of the discussion, DTOC Director Michael Bejos delivered the conclusions of the meeting. DTOC subsequently issued the following main conclusions and recommendations emerging from the CSH meeting on transnational organized crime and financial crimes:- 3 -  Hemispheric recognition of financial crimes as a major threat to multidimensional security: The member states agreed that financial crimes are a key component of transnational organized crime, as they help it to grow, diversify, and adapt.  Significant legislative advances with a focus on regional harmonization of regulations: Several member states gave updates on recent efforts to amend or update their regulatory frameworks to bring them in alignment with FATF and GAFILAT standards, with notable initiatives in Chile, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Peru, and Uruguay. These reforms include new, comprehensive anti-money laundering laws, the creation of registries of end beneficiaries, a stronger role for FIUs, and regulation of virtual asset service providers––altogether reflecting a regional push to reduce differences across regulations.  Interagency coordination as a factor influencing effectiveness: There is broad consensus among member states that sustained interagency coordination is vital to delivering operational

results. The models presented by Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, and Canada reveal that formal coordination arrangements make for better quality financial intelligence, speed up investigations, and strengthen the criminal prosecution of financial crimes.  Financial and digital fraud as an emerging cross-cutting concern: Many of the delegations agreed that fraud was one of the fastest-growing threats in the Americas, affecting digital environments in particular. Canada noted an exponential increase in financial losses associated with online scams, ransomware, and investment schemes; Chile shared on experiences related to transnational digital fraud (“pig butchering”); while Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago, and Ecuador identified fraud as a recurring predicate offense associated with money laundering structures.  Digitalization and artificial intelligence: shared opportunities and risks: The member states acknowledged that digitization of the financial system and the use of artificial intelligence generate both strategic advantages and systemic risks. While delegations such as Guatemala and Canada reported progress in their use of data science, advanced analytics, and relational intelligence to better detect complex patterns, on the other hand warnings were issued about criminal organizations increasingly using digital technologies to commit fraud, conceal identity, and hinder financial traceability.  Crypto-assets and virtual assets as a major challenge for regulation and technical assistance: There is broad agreement on the growing use of crypto-assets by criminal organizations and the need to strengthen regulatory frameworks and technical capabilities. Countries such as Colombia, Guatemala, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Canada spoke about regulatory initiatives, specialized training, and interagency cooperation to address the risks associated with virtual assets, recognizing the urgent need for progress on traceability, oversight, and recovery of digital assets.  Persistent constraints on asset recovery and decapitalization of criminal organizations: Although several member states – especially Brazil, Argentina, and Chile – reported progress with parallel financial investigations and major seizures, there is widespread acknowledgment that recovering illicit assets remains limited in relation to the scale of criminal enterprises. They emphasized the need for stronger mechanisms for asset forfeiture, confiscation without conviction, asset management, and cross-border cooperation, all geared towards disrupting organized crime finances at a structural level.- 4that recovering illicit assets remains limited in relation to the scale of criminal enterprises. They emphasized the need for stronger mechanisms for asset forfeiture, confiscation without conviction, asset management, and cross-border cooperation, all geared towards disrupting organized crime finances at a structural level.- 4 -  Regional demand for specialized technical assistance and capacity building: Most of the member states identified common needs for technical assistance, particularly in the areas of crypto-asset analysis, digital financial systems, risk-based monitoring, identification of end beneficiaries, and stronger evidence gathering. Delegations like those of the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, and Trinidad and Tobago stressed the importance of advanced training programs tailored to local realities and with a real-world, hands-on focus.  Strategic value of OAS hemispheric mechanisms: Member states consistently applauded the OAS for its role through technical forums such as GELAVEX, RANDOT, DTOC, and CICAD, which serve as key platforms for information sharing (Egmont), operational cooperation, and capacity building.  Need for a comprehensive, sustainable, and human rights-based approach: Several delegations, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, and Uruguay among them, emphasized that policies to combat financial crimes must include prevention, institutional strengthening, financial inclusion, and respect for human rights, recognizing that sustainable solutions call for both illicit financial flows and the structural causes that fuel them to be addressed.

3. Other business The Committee Chair announced that the draft resolution “Place and date of the Ninth Meeting of Ministers Responsible for Public Security in the Americas (MISPA-IX)” had been published. That resolution was submitted by the delegation of Panama to the OAS and will be included on the draft order of business of the Committee meeting scheduled for January 29.

Later on, the Chair commented on the substantive topics to be considered at the next three meetings of the Committee, that is:

 January 29: nuclear physical security in the region (cargo and container security) through cooperation and maritime security;  February 5 (morning): progress and challenges in the implementation of programs and projects executed by the Executive Secretariat of the Inter-American Drug Abuse Control Commission (CICAD) on supply reduction; and  February 5 (afternoon): progress and challenges with respect to implementation of programs and projects on multidimensional security information and knowledge, as well as those related to the promotion of police cooperation. She then announced that the documents for the January 29 meeting had already been published and that, over the next few days, those relating to the meetings scheduled for February 5 would be published.