UAE Launches ‘Abu Dhabi Call to Action’ Against Transnational Environmental Crime
The Ministry of Interior has unveiled a comprehensive initiative to combat organised environmental crime, calling for concrete international action beyond pledges during the UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.
The UAE Ministry of Interior has launched the ‘Abu Dhabi Call to Action’, a strategic initiative addressing transnational environmental crime, during a high-level event held alongside the 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Abu Dhabi. The event, organised in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), INTERPOL, France and Azerbaijan, brought together international experts and officials committed to strengthening global enforcement mechanisms.
Colonel Dana Al Marzouqi, Director General of International Affairs at the Ministry of Interior, emphasised that environmental stewardship represents a cornerstone of UAE values. She highlighted how the nation’s founding principles, established by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, position environmental protection as a sacred responsibility extending beyond national borders. Under the guidance of the UAE’s wise leadership, this commitment has evolved into a national imperative that the ministry believes must become a shared international responsibility.
The initiative builds upon the International Initiative for Law Enforcement for Climate (I2LEC), a collaborative framework established with UNODC in 2023. This programme strengthens operational readiness, provides specialised training, facilitates information exchange and coordinates joint enforcement operations across participating nations. Operation ‘Green Shield 2026’ exemplifies these efforts, bringing together law enforcement agencies from several South American countries with UAE support to target illegal mining, logging, wildlife trafficking, fuel smuggling and unauthorised land seizure within the Amazon Basin.
Ghada Waly, Executive Director of UNODC, characterised environmental crimes as an escalating threat to justice, security and the rule of law. She noted that these offences frequently intertwine with other organised criminal activities including drug trafficking, arms smuggling and human trafficking. Whilst international legal frameworks exist, their effectiveness depends fundamentally upon robust justice systems capable of rigorous enforcement.
Gérald Darmanin, French Minister of Justice, underscored the Congress’s significance in fostering dialogue on crime prevention and security. He emphasised France’s commitment to combating drug trafficking and environmental crime, stressing the necessity of addressing illicit financial flows and money laundering associated with environmental offences.
Lucas Philippe, representing INTERPOL, highlighted the distinctive operational challenges posed by the cross-border dimensions of environmental crime, emphasising the importance of enabling law enforcement to identify, track and disrupt criminal networks. Vugar Aliyev, representing Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor General’s Office, stressed the value of strengthening national investigative capacity and promoting international expertise exchange in prosecuting complex transnational environmental crimes.
The Abu Dhabi Call to Action represents a pivotal moment in transforming international commitments into measurable outcomes through enhanced collaboration, expanded joint operations and elevated prioritisation of environmental crime on the global security agenda.
Source: WAM