46th Arab Security and Police Leaders' Conference concludes in the UAE
Abu Dhabi seems to have become the meeting place for the leaders of the Arab world and the Middle East this past week. The summit of the Negev Forum - held on 9 and 10 January - which brings together the signatories of the Abraham Accords for the normalisation of diplomatic relations with Israel (Bahrain, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco and the United States), has been joined by the 46th Arab Security and Police Leaders' Conference, on the same dates.
A meeting marked by ceremonial and tribute activities for those celebrating their "golden jubilee". It has been fifty years since the UAE hosted the first Arab Security and Police Leaders' Conference in the city of Al Ain in 1972, where it was announced that this annual meeting would be held for regional coordination on security and police issues, to address the challenges that threaten the territory.
Thus, after two days of dialogue and discussion between representatives of national, regional and international security organisations (such as the police forces of Arab states, the Council of Arab Ministers of the Interior, the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences, Interpol and the United Nations offices against Terrorism and against Drugs and Crime), the 46th summit resulted in important agreements that, according to the organisation itself, will contribute to strengthening Arab cooperation.
The conference was opened by UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who welcomed the participants to the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) and wished them success in unifying their perspectives and strategic objectives. The official opening ceremony also included the undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior and chairman of the conference, Major General Khalifa Hareb Al Khaili; the secretary general of the Council of Arab Ministers of Interior, Mohammad Bin Ali Kuman; and the Inspector General of the UAE Ministry of Interior and current president of the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol), Ahmed Nasser Al Raisi, among others.
"Fifty years of joint work and coordination have resulted in the achievement of successes as part of our countries' efforts to enhance security and stability," said Major General Khalifa Hareb Al Khaili during his welcoming remarks.
In addition, the summit also called on delegations from the attending countries to pay attention to money laundering crimes, with the UAE's experience in combating money laundering being used as an example. The General Secretariat of the Council of Arab Interior Ministers was responsible for distributing the document prepared by the Emirati Interior Ministry (and presented by General Abdul Aziz Al Ahmad, Chairman of the Subcommittee for Investigations of Money Laundering Crimes of the National Committee for Combating Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing), as well as the other working documents submitted by the other Arab Interior Ministers, so that the exchange of experiences and information could enrich the entire region. In particular, the experiences related to the use of advanced technologies and artificial intelligence against money laundering.
The discussion on the choice and qualification of the official security spokesperson was another key issue of the meeting. Abu Dhabi called on member states to thoroughly discuss their endorsements, as whoever the incoming spokesperson is, he or she should contribute to the goals of the forum in the most comprehensive way possible by collaborating with the scientific programmes and initiatives of the Naif Arab University for Security Sciences. This was in addition to the adoption of a draft joint Arab strategy for combating human trafficking and crimes against trafficking in human organs.
Finally, the results of the work carried out by the Arab Police Sports Federation throughout 2022 were presented, and police sports organisations were urged to participate in the Federation's activities. Meanwhile, on the sidelines of the summit, the Council of Arab Ministers of Interior presented the five winners of the annual 2022 competition for raising public awareness of security and crime risks, and presented certificates of appreciation to former communication directors.