Hessa Abdulla Al Nuaimi*

Governments from 119 countries back the Abu Dhabi Declaration as the UAE hosts the largest Crime Congress in its 71-year history.

Governments adopted a new global blueprint for fighting crime in the digital age on Saturday, as the 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice opened in the UAE capital.

The Abu Dhabi Declaration was adopted by acclamation on the Congress's first day. It targets cybercrime, fraud and the criminal use of digital technology, including what the UN calls “crime as a service” and “violence as a service”.

It also commits countries to digitalise their justice systems and use artificial intelligence, with safeguards such as human oversight, transparency, due process and data protection.

More than 7,000 visitors from 119 countries are attending, including over 40 justice ministers and senior officials. It is the largest gathering in the Congress's 71-year history. The event runs at the ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi until October 1.

UAE Minister of Justice Abdullah Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi was elected President of the Congress at the opening session. He took over from Japan, which hosted the 14th Congress in Kyoto in 2021.

In his opening address, Al Nuaimi warned of “a new generation of crime driven by artificial intelligence and multi-agent systems capable of executing complex, high-impact operations across borders.” He added: “The challenges facing the criminal justice system today increasingly transcend borders.”

The declaration rests on four pillars: prevention and resilience; justice and the rule of law; evolving and converging criminal threats; and innovation and cooperation. It sets priorities for member states over the next five years.

Dr Monica Juma, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), said the meeting was about action. “We have not come to Abu Dhabi simply to describe how the world has changed,” she said.

“We have come to decide how we must respond.” She urged states to speed up ratification of the UN Convention against Cybercrime.

UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, in a video address, warned that criminal networks are exploiting digital spaces. “Justice cannot be a privilege,” she said. “It must protect every person, uphold every person's rights and leave no one behind.”

The UAE used the opening ceremony to launch Pledge4Justice, a platform that turns political commitments into practical steps to implement the declaration.

It made the first pledge: up to $5 million, paid in annual contributions of up to $1 million between 2026 and 2031. Juma said more than 40 pledges had already been submitted by member states.

On Sunday, Al Nuaimi signed judicial cooperation agreements with Qatar and Bahrain. They cover the exchange of information and evidence, mutual legal assistance, extradition, money laundering, misuse of virtual assets and the recovery of criminal proceeds. He also held talks with counterparts from Ireland, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Thailand, Belgium and San Marino.

On Sunday, Al Nuaimi also set out the UAE’s approach to international judicial cooperation, which he described as swift, effective and built on trust and the rule of law. “Crime today has no borders,” he said. “Borders should never become a shield for criminals.”

He pointed to the case of alleged Irish crime boss Daniel Kinahan, who was arrested in Dubai in April, 48 hours after Ireland requested it, and extradited to Ireland in August.

Kinahan, 49, faces charges including organised crime, murder and drug trafficking. The UAE is party to 16 multilateral agreements and more than 140 bilateral agreements with 53 countries, and received 576 extradition requests in 2025.

The European Union, in its statement to the Congress on Saturday, pointed to its existing cooperation with non-EU countries through Eurojust, the EU's agency for criminal justice cooperation, and the European Judicial Network. It said it plans to strengthen the mandates of Eurojust, Europol and the European Public Prosecutor's Office.

The UAE already has ties with the agency: in July 2025, Eurojust and the UAE Ministry of Justice held an expert workshop in Abu Dhabi on judicial cooperation, cybercrime, money laundering and asset recovery.

Japan's Justice Minister Takashi Yamashita, handing over the presidency, called for unity. “Now is the time for us to flex our cooperation and solidarity,” he said. The Kyoto Declaration, adopted in 2021, was followed up by the UN General Assembly in 2025 with the Kyoto Common Strategies.

The rest of the week is devoted to detail. Sessions cover AI in online scams, money laundering and terrorist financing, corruption, human trafficking in the digital age, environmental and drug-related crime and victim protection.

The programme includes 15 major events, 93 expert speakers, around 200 side meetings and a Young Voices for Justice Forum.

For Juma, the real test comes after the Congress closes on October 1. “A declaration is only as good as its implementation,” she said.


*Assistant Researcher at TRENDS Research & Advisory