Today's Edition
ISIDORA CIRIC (ABU DHABI)
Terrorist and extremist groups are now using AI to spread propaganda, recruit followers, radicalise audiences and produce deceptive synthetic media, the UAE warned during the 2026 United Nations Counter-Terrorism Week in New York.
Held at UN headquarters from June 26 to July 2, the annual event brings together member countries, UN bodies and international organisations for a high-level conference and about 40 side sessions on evolving terror threats and the international response.
Representing the UAE, Dr Mohammed Al Kuwaiti, Head of Cyber Security for the UAE Government, spoke as a special guest at the Fourth United Nations High-Level Conference of Heads of Counter-Terrorism Agencies on June 30.
Sovereign Capability as a Tool for Deterrence
In his address, Dr Al Kuwaiti said that new technologies were giving governments faster, more effective ways to detect threats and protect the public. However, he also warned that terrorist and violent extremist groups were using the same capabilities to incite violence and operate across borders while trying to avoid detection.
"The challenge before us is to ensure that these technologies remain instruments for justice and security and never become weapons in the land or in the hands of those who seek to do harm," the UAE cybersecurity chief said.
"The experience of the United Arab Emirates has taught us one lesson above all. In cybersecurity and in artificial intelligence, technology alone is not enough."
Dr Al Kuwaiti stressed that governments must develop their institutions, expertise and decision-making processes at the same pace as technological advances. He also called on countries to invest in their own national expertise rather than relying solely on imported systems.
"In countering the misuse of AI and emerging technologies, the most valuable form of capacity-building is not the transfer of technology, but the development of lasting sovereign capability, knowledge and expertise," he said.
During the same session, Mauro Miedico, Director of the UN Counter-Terrorism Centre, identified the UAE as one of the key financial supporters of the UN's Cybersecurity and New Technologies Programme, which helps countries incorporate new tools into national counter-terrorism plans and protect critical infrastructure from hostile cyberattacks.
UAE Broadens Its Counter-Terrorism Agenda
On the sidelines of the event, Dr Al Kuwaiti also met with Hussein Al Salama, his Syrian counterpart, and Ambassador Ibrahim Alabi, Permanent Representative of Syria to the UN.
In a statement on X, the UAE Permanent Mission to the UN said that the discussions examined ways to expand cooperation in emerging technologies, including AI, alongside the development of smart cities and measures to improve the safety and security of critical infrastructure.
"The United Arab Emirates reaffirmed its steadfast support for the Syrian Arab Republic, and for all efforts aimed at achieving the aspirations of the brotherly Syrian people for stability, development, and prosperity," the statement added.
Dr Al Kuwaiti's engagements formed part of a wider UAE programme during the week-long UN gathering in New York.
On July 1, the country co-organised a session titled "Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Counter-Terrorism: Reshaping Institutions and Operational Realities" with India, Japan and the European Union, in cooperation with the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism and the UN Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute.
The discussions examined how Member States can adapt counter-terrorism policies and cooperation frameworks to the risks and opportunities posed by AI, while sharing lessons from UN-led initiatives such as CT TECH+ and AI POL.
A second event co-hosted by the UAE, Japan, South Korea, Portugal and the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism focused on the growing terrorist use of unmanned aircraft systems and the importance of international cooperation to combat the growing threat.
Also held on July 1, the session examined how countries can align legal, regulatory and operational responses and keep pace with technological change, drawing on existing frameworks and lessons from UNOCT's AROS Programme.
The UAE's role in the week's discussions was backed by a funding commitment announced earlier in June at the 26th Coordinating Committee Meeting of the Global Counterterrorism Forum in Brussels.
Heading the UAE delegation at the Brussels meeting, Maqsoud Kruse, the UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs' Envoy for Countering Extremism and Terrorism, announced a €500,000 pledge by the UAE to support the forum throughout 2027, in addition to annual financial contributions of $300,000 from 2028.
