UAE to host largest UN crime congress in Abu Dhabi, pushes cross-border justice and AI safeguards

Dubai: Crime no longer stops at any border, and the UAE says the response cannot either. As Abu Dhabi prepares to host the 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice from September 26 to October 1, the country is calling for stronger international cooperation, with 97 countries taking part.

The Congress comes while wars, political tensions and crimes against states and individuals are affecting large parts of the world.

Announcing the UAE's readiness at a press conference in Dubai on Monday, Abdullah bin Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi, Minister of Justice, said: "Security and justice are shared responsibilities."

Cross-border challenges, he added, can only be met through cross-border cooperation, which is how safer, more stable and prosperous societies are built.

Al Nuaimi said the nature and pattern of crimes are changing rapidly, from organised crimes, drug trafficking and money laundering to crimes against children and women. At the same time, fast-moving technology and AI are creating ethical challenges that demand international cooperation.

"Technology must serve justice and humanity, and people must remain at the heart of justice," he said.

Judge Dr Hatem Fouad Aly, Regional Representative for the Gulf region at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), said the Congress comes at a time of very sensitive circumstances, which make the security of states and people one of the foremost priorities.

He noted that the UAE’s Minister of Justice is chairing the organising committee, and the Congress offers the world a chance to gather and discuss how to make people safer and how to help states cooperate against organised crime and terrorism, especially where technology and AI are involved.

Recommendations of the Abu Dhabi Declaration will be put forward and discussed with states on how they can reinforce their law enforcement and justice systems, forming what he described as a road map for countries to work on.

Held since 1955, the Congress is one of the world's foremost forums for shaping crime prevention and justice policy. This edition is 31 per cent bigger than any before it, and the biggest UN gathering specialised in the field, officials said.

It will bring together 33 ministers and 93 speakers, with 15 main events, 200 meetings and 38 specialised exhibitions.

Al Nuaimi said hosting the event reflects the UAE's long-standing approach since its establishment, and the international community's confidence in its ability to bring governments together on issues that directly affect people and states.

"We are fully prepared for hosting the Congress," he said, following close coordination with the UN and partner members.

The main outcome will be the Abu Dhabi Declaration, which member states are expected to adopt when the Congress opens.

Abdulrahman Murad Al Balooshi, Assistant Undersecretary for International Cooperation and Legal Affairs at the Ministry of Justice and the Congress's general coordinator, said the declaration has 18 articles and will guide work for the next five years. Each country will decide which recommendations to take forward and will compare them against its own legislation.

The UAE will focus on five initiatives: children, youth, women, artificial intelligence and the environment.

For the first time, a two-day youth forum will precede the Congress, on September 24 and 25, to encourage young people to take part in decision-making.

A special forum with the women's federation will boost women's role in shaping these policies, and the private sector will take part for the first time as a partner in countering organised crime and terrorism.

The event is also a milestone for the UAE, which joined the UN in December 1971, seven days after the federation was declared, as its 132nd member.