The need for capacity building and the creation of engagement mechanisms are very evident given the shrinking space for civil society. Caribbean governments themselves have been placed under significant pressure to show international financial institutions such as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the International Monetary (IMF) they are not lapse on matters such as money laundering and terrorist financing across various sectors including the civil society sector. This was evidenced by actions taken by the Barbadian government where in December 2019 scores of Barbadian charities were deregistered by the Corporate Affairs and Intellectual Property Office (CAIPO) for failure to respond to a survey which sought to ascertain information on charities? sources of funding. Such an action was contrary to Recommendation 8 of the FATF standards on Combating Abuse of Non-Profit Organisations which stresses that measures adopted by countries to protect the NGO sector from terrorist abuse should not disrupt or discourage legitimate charitable activities but instead promote transparency and stimulate greater confidence in the sector. 2
There is a general lack of understanding by NGOs about the standards which need to be met, several NGOs are also not in a position to meet such standards given their lack of capacity on aforementioned governance mechanisms and polices. Organisations therefore need greater education and awareness about international processes and standards which they must comply with. Capacity development is also important to improve their transparency, accountability and integrity in their operations in order to meet minimum standards of compliance or face being left out of key processes and having the important work they do curtailed. There must also be a concerted effort to help bridge the gap between CSO and Government expectations and to ensure there is a healthy space for dialogue, collaboration and effective implementation of CSOs? mandates to support the most vulnerable.