Who must comply?
- National foreign-affairs ministries (treaty signatories)
- Legislatures (ratification and implementing legislation)
- Justice and interior ministries (operational implementation)
Key requirements
- 1
Become party to the four core conventions
Sign, ratify and bring into force the Vienna Convention (1988), Palermo Convention (2000), TF Convention (1999) and Mérida Convention (2003). Each addresses a different angle of the AML/CFT framework.
- 2
Implement through domestic legislation
Ratification alone is not enough — the obligations of each convention must be incorporated into domestic law (criminal code, financial intelligence law, asset-recovery law, mutual-legal-assistance law).
- 3
Take account of related instruments
Countries should also take account of related international instruments — UNSC resolutions on terrorism and proliferation, OECD anti-bribery convention, Council of Europe Warsaw Convention, where relevant.
- 4
No reservations that undermine effectiveness
Reservations or interpretive declarations attached to ratification must not undermine the practical effectiveness of the convention's AML/CFT obligations.
- 5
Cooperation under conventions
Use the cooperation provisions of the conventions — extradition, mutual legal assistance, information exchange — as the legal basis for international AML/CFT action.
Practical example
Example: Mexico's treaty framework
Mexico is party to all four core conventions: Vienna (signed 1988, ratified 1990), Palermo (signed 2000, ratified 2003), TF Convention (ratified 2003) and Mérida (signed and ratified 2003). The Mexican Constitution (Art. 133) makes ratified treaties Supreme Law of the Union, directly applicable. Domestic implementation runs through Art. 400 Bis CPF (ML offence — Vienna), LFCDO (organised crime — Palermo), Art. 139 Quáter CPF (TF — TF Convention), and the Ley General del Sistema Nacional Anticorrupción (Mérida).
How Mexico implements it
Country-specific section in Spanish — Mexican regulatory references (LFPIORPI, CNBV, SAT, UIF).
México ha ratificado e implementado las cuatro convenciones centrales:
Convención de Viena (1988)
Ratificada 1990. Implementada vía el Art. 400 Bis CPF (delito de LD basado en delitos previos de narcotráfico) y la Ley General de Salud.
Convención de Palermo (2000)
Ratificada 2003. Implementada vía la Ley Federal contra la Delincuencia Organizada (LFCDO) y la ampliación del Art. 400 Bis a un rango amplio de delitos previos.
Convención FT (1999)
Ratificada 2003. Implementada vía Art. 139 Quáter CPF y la integración del FT al régimen ALA general.
Convención de Mérida (2003)
Firmada en México (de ahí el nombre 'Mérida'). Implementada vía la Ley General del Sistema Nacional Anticorrupción, la Ley General de Responsabilidades Administrativas, y el régimen de la FGR contra delitos de corrupción.
Milestones
-
1988
Vienna Convention against Drug Trafficking
-
1999
UN Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism
-
2000
Palermo Convention against Transnational Organised Crime
-
2003
Mérida Convention against Corruption
-
2025
October 2025 update reinforces effective implementation expectations
Related Recommendations
Other Recommendations in Group G — International Cooperation
Official citation
FATF (2012-2025), International Standards on Combating Money Laundering and the Financing of Terrorism & Proliferation, Recommendation 36, FATF, Paris, France. Last updated October 2025.
Read the official text on fatf-gafi.org