The FINANCIAL — Philip Morris International Inc. announced on November 28 that PMI IMPACT, its global initiative to support third party projects dedicated to fighting illegal trade and related crimes, received 157 expressions of interest for its second funding round.
The applications come from a range of government agencies, public universities, private companies, and not-for-profit organizations across 56 countries in Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Middle East, Africa, the EU, and the US, according to Philip Morris International.
“The Expert Council is encouraged by the substantial number of responses to our invitation for expressions of interest in combatting illegal trade in all its forms. It is gratifying to receive such sustained support for the initiative taken by PMI IMPACT to get all relevant stakeholders to work together,” stated Navi Pillay, member of the PMI IMPACT Expert Council. “We will be reviewing the applications and will make a selection of the successful candidates shortly.”
The second funding round of PMI IMPACT focuses on projects that will tackle converging forms of illegal trade such as the smuggling and counterfeiting of goods, human trafficking, and the trade in drugs, arms, and wildlife. This round also examines the interlinks of illegal trade with related crimes, including corruption, money laundering, and organized criminal networks.
“We would like to thank all applicants for their proposals. Our hope is that PMI IMPACT will be a global enabler for innovative projects against illegal trade, and we are encouraged to see this initiative materialize and evolve year after year” stated Alvise Giustiniani, PMI’s Vice President Illicit Trade Strategies & Prevention.
Following the review of the expressions of interest, selected applicants will be invited to submit their full project proposals in early 2018 for further evaluation and final selection by the PMI IMPACT Expert Council, a body of external independent experts in the fields of law, anti-corruption, human rights, and law enforcement.
PMI has pledged USD 100 million for three funding rounds of PMI IMPACT. 32 projects were selected for funding in the initiative’s first round, with allocated grants of approximately USD 28 million.
