This Convention provides comprehensive measures against drug trafficking, including provisions against money laundering and the diversion of precursor chemicals. It provides for international cooperation through, for example, extradition of drug traffickers, controlled deliveries and transfer of proceedings.

The Convention was adopted by General Assembly resolution 55/25 of 15 November 2000, is the main international instrument in the fight against transnational organized crime. It opened for signature by Member States at a High-level Political Conference convened for that purpose in Palermo, Italy, on 12-15 December 2000 and entered into force on 29 September 2003. The Convention is further supplemented by three Protocols, which target specific areas and manifestations of organized crime: the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children; the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air; and the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, their Parts and Components and Ammunition.

The United Nations Convention against Corruption is the only legally binding universal anti-corruption instrument. The Convention's far-reaching approach and the mandatory character of many of its provisions make it a unique tool for developing a comprehensive response to a global problem. The Convention covers five main areas: preventive measures, criminalization and law enforcement, international cooperation, asset recovery, and technical assistance and information exchange. The Convention covers many different forms of corruption, such as bribery, trading in influence, abuse of functions, and various acts of corruption in the private sector. A highlight of the Convention is the inclusion of a specific chapter on asset recovery, aimed at returning assets to their rightful owners, including countries from which they had been taken illicitly.

On 9 December 1999, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted an international convention designed to cut off funding for terrorist activities. The International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism was adopted on the recommendation of the Assembly’s Sixth Committee. The Convention requires States Parties to pass domestic legislation criminalizing the collection of funds for terrorist activities. The Convention opened for signature on 10 January 2000.

Timor-Leste’s accession took place on 27 May 2014 after the passage of the AML/CFT Law in 2011.

The FATF is the world’s leading regulator against illicit financial behavior. The FATF issues non-legal guidances (called Recommendations) that members jurisdictions to implement or face punitive actions. The guidelines provide an international infrastructure that connects global finance, law enforcement, criminal justice systems and facilitates cooperation between authorities worldwide.

Although, the recommendations are not legally binding, countries are expected to toe the official FATF line and implement the latest recommendations where possible.

The FATF conducts mutual evaluations of its members’ levels of implementation of the FATF Recommendations on an ongoing basis. These are peer reviews, where members from different countries assess another country. The FATF Methodology for assessing compliance with the FATF Recommendations and the effectiveness of AML/CFT systems sets out the evaluation process.  

The methodology describes the details assessments focus the on two areas, effectiveness and technical compliance.