The third edition of the Hot Zones Prioritization Forum (HZPF) took place in Santiago, Chile, from 8 to 11 September 2025. The forum was organized by the World Customs Organization (WCO), in collaboration with the Chilean Customs Administration, the Egmont Group, and the Terrorism, Transnational Crime and Corruption Center (TraCCC) of George Mason University.
This edition brought together nearly 100 experts from 38 countries, representing Customs administrations, Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs), regional bodies such as FATF-style regional organizations (FSRBs) and the Regional Intelligence Liaison Office (RILO), INTERPOL, and academia.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Rafael Collado González, Minister of Public Security, emphasized the importance of strengthening collaboration between national and international institutions to combat organized crime.
Ms. Heidi Berner, Undersecretary of Finance of Chile, highlighted the global nature of organized crime and underlined that expert gatherings such as this Forum provide an invaluable opportunity to identify and share best practices to address it.
Ms. Alejandra Arriaza Loeb, Director General of Chilean Customs, stressed the essential role of modern Customs in the fight against money laundering and terrorism financing. She noted that this fight must be carried out collaboratively, alongside all other relevant stakeholders. She further emphasized that delegates from different countries were meeting to exchange best practices, innovations, and technologies in these areas and related crimes.
Speaking on behalf of the WCO Secretary General, Ms. Lamia Frigui, Head of the Nomenclature and Revenue Implementation Unit, underlined the strategic importance of the Forum. She recalled that the HZPF is not simply a meeting but a unique platform where experts from Customs, FIUs, regional organizations, and academia can come together to discuss, analyse, and prioritise the most sensitive sub-regional hot zones worldwide. She stressed that identifying areas most exposed to transnational criminal organizations, money laundering, terrorism financing, and illicit financial flows is essential to building a cohesive and collaborative response.
Over four days, the HZPF shed light on several crucial operational realities. Participants emphasized that synergy between Customs, FIUs, regional organizations, and academia is the cornerstone of collective security. They highlighted that the integration of analytical tools and artificial intelligence now makes it possible to anticipate threats and to share intelligence at unprecedented speed. The private sector was also recognized as an indispensable partner, marking a major step forward in detecting and disrupting illicit flows at an earlier stage. Case studies and practical scenarios further provided concrete toolkits for frontline practitioners.
At the closing ceremony, participants stressed that criminal networks are becoming increasingly agile and sophisticated, which calls for constant vigilance and continuous innovation. It was underlined that the WCO, together with its partners, will continue to work on the priorities identified during this edition. These include consolidating the outcomes in the HZPF 2025 Report, which will serve as a roadmap for future actions; strengthening inter-agency collaboration, particularly between Customs and FIUs; expanding cooperation with the private sector; and exploring innovative technological partnerships.