ABU DHABI, 24th May, 2025 (WAM) - A delegation from the United Arab Emirates, headed by Judge Abdul Rahman Al Balooshi, Assistant Undersecretary for International Cooperation and Legal Affairs at the Ministry of Justice, participated in the 34th session of the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, held in Vienna, Austria, from May 19 to 23, 2025.

The delegation included representatives from the Ministries of Interior and Justice, as well as the Permanent Mission of the UAE to the United Nations and international organisations in Vienna, reflecting the country's institutional integration and collaborative approach to addressing criminal justice issues at the international level. This participation is part of the ongoing preparations for the United Nations 15th Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, which will be held in Abu Dhabi in April 2026.

The session saw significant momentum in discussions on the challenges of criminal justice and crime control in a global context. Participating delegations, including the UAE delegation, emphasised the importance of combating all forms of crime through strengthening international cooperation, gender equality, respect for human rights, capacity building and training, technology transfer, as well as developing and updating national legislation in line with contemporary developments.

The need to combat human trafficking crimes and support victims through rehabilitation and community reintegration programmess was highlighted. There were also strong calls to combat terrorism in all its forms, emphasising the need to coordinate international efforts and strengthen relevant national legislation.

In this context, the UAE presented multiple statements during the session, affirming its unwavering commitment to international cooperation to build a more just and sustainable future, and highlighting the crucial role of the preparatory meetings for the Abu Dhabi 2026 Congress in formulating an advanced global vision for dealing with crime and criminal justice.

As part of the session's activities, the UAE delegation chaired a side event titled "The Road to Abu Dhabi," which focused on the preparatory processes for the congress and featured significant international engagement.

Hamad Al Kaabi, the UAE's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and International Organisations in Vienna, also participated as a Panelist in a side event organised by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in cooperation with INTERPOL and the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), titled "Anti-Money Laundering and Combating the Financing of Terrorism." During the event, he reviewed the UAE's efforts in combating organised crime.

On the sidelines of the session, the UAE delegation participated in numerous side events and held several bilateral meetings with member states, aiming to strengthen cooperation, exchange expertise, and coordinate positions on priority issues related to crime prevention and criminal justice.

The UAE delegation emphasised several occasions that preparations for the 15th UN Congress in Abu Dhabi are progressing steadily, aiming to produce a qualitative international declaration (the Abu Dhabi Declaration) that reflects the global consensus on the need to strengthen collective action to combat crime in all its forms and lays new foundations for international cooperation in building more efficient, equitable, and sustainable criminal justice systems in the future.