FSVC, with funding from the U.S. Department of State, is implementing a program to combat extractive industry corruption in Sudan, focusing on strengthening the media’s ability to investigate and report on corruption in this sector.

Photojournalism is a critical tool for investigating corruption both within and beyond the extractive sector. To strengthen Sudanese media’s capacity to use this tool, FSVC recently conducted a photojournalism training for members of the Khartoum Media Center (KMC) in Port Sudan. FSVC volunteer experts led sessions on the ethics, tools, and principles of photojournalism, with a particular focus on smartphone photography. Through hands-on photography exercises, participants learned how to apply these skills in practice to their investigative reporting. As a result of this training, KMC members are better equipped to produce strong investigative reports on extractive industry corruption in the coming months.

FSVC is committed to its efforts to strengthen transparency and accountability in the extractive industries in Sudan and looks forward to further bolstering the capacity of media to effectively report on corruption and advocate for change.

Strong civil society organizations (CSOs) are pivotal for promoting and safeguarding human rights and advancing representative, participatory and meaningful democracy. FSVC, with support from the U.S. Department of State, has launched a new program to strengthen civil society organizational capacity and coordination in Belize, Costa Rica, and Panama.

This program will strengthen the administrative, financial and program management of CSOs in each of the three countries, and enhance CSO networking both within individual countries and more broadly across the region. In this way, FSVC’s program aims to bolster the sustainability, resiliency and efficacy of CSOs across the three target countries, as well as to strengthen national and regional CSO alliances to maximize efficiency of human rights-related programming. Through practical training and sharing of hands-on regional lessons learned, FSVC hopes to empower CSOs to safeguard human rights, deliver essential services to vulnerable populations, and promote accountable, equitable democratic governance.

FSVC’s work will enhance the effectiveness of CSOs in Central America and help advance the broader goal of building strong, resilient civil society networks that can meaningfully engage with governments to promote transparency and accountability across the region.

With funding from the U.S. Department of State, FSVC provides technical assistance to counterparts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to strengthen the fight against money laundering, financial crimes, and corruption. As part of this effort, FSVC works to operationalize the Financial Intelligence Unit (CENAREF) and enhance its implementation of international standards set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), including those related to sanctions enforcement.

Recent international investigations have raised significant questions about the enforcement of U.S., United Nations and European Union sanctions by the Government of the DRC and several banks in the country. These failures have allowed foreign malign actors to undertake prohibited activities in the DRC, posing a great risk to the international financial system. To remedy this, FSVC Board Member and volunteer expert Adam Szubin recently met with CENAREF senior management in Kinshasa to discuss international best practices in sanctions enforcement. Topics included identifying evasion trends and techniques and enhancing coordination with other public and private sector actors. As a result of this consultation, CENAREF is better equipped to identify and respond to sanctions infractions and to spearhead inter-agency and public-private efforts on this front.

FSVC looks forward to continuing its partnership with CENAREF to enhance the implementation of international best practices in combatting financial crimes in the DRC.

About Us The Financial Services Volunteer Corps (FSVC) is a not-for-profit organization that helps strengthen financial sectors in developing and emerging market countries. It does so with the ultimate aim of promoting job creation, economic growth and a better quality of life. FSVC structures practical, results-oriented technical assistance and training missions staffed by senior financial sector professionals who serve as unpaid volunteer experts. Over the past 34 years, more than 10,000 volunteer experts from the international financial, legal and regulatory communities have taken part in 3,800 missions, impacting millions of people in 70 countries. Help support FSVC’s mission! As our work expands, private contributions are critical, as they help build the working capital foundation required to support the establishment of new programs and the exploration of new opportunities. Your contribution to FSVC, a 501(c)(3) organization, is tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.