- UAE Highlights Sheikh Zayed’s Environmental Legacy as International Partners Unite Against Transnational Environmental Crime
ABU DHABI: The United Arab Emirates has reaffirmed its growing international leadership in protecting the environment and combating transnational environmental crime, hosting a high-level session titled “Overcoming Environmental Crime: From Promises to Tangible Results” on the sidelines of the 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (Abu Dhabi 2026).
Organised by the UAE Ministry of Interior in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), INTERPOL, France and Azerbaijan, the session brought together senior international officials and law-enforcement experts to strengthen global cooperation against crimes that threaten natural resources, biodiversity and environmental security.
The session was moderated by Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), who called for stronger international partnerships among governments, law-enforcement agencies and international organisations to confront environmental crime, which increasingly operates across national borders.
UAE’s Environmental Commitment Rooted in Sheikh Zayed’s Legacy
Colonel Dana Al Marzouqi, Director General of International Affairs at the UAE Ministry of Interior, emphasised that environmental protection is deeply rooted in the UAE’s national values and heritage.
“In the UAE, our relationship with the environment is not merely a policy; it is a legacy,”
she said, recalling the vision of the UAE’s Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who regarded the land, sea and living environment as a trust for future generations.
Al Marzouqi said that under the UAE’s leadership, protecting this legacy remains a national responsibility and an area in which the country seeks to promote stronger international cooperation.
She stressed that the UAE considers environmental security an integral part of national and international security, particularly as environmental crimes become increasingly sophisticated and interconnected with transnational organised crime.
UAE Initiative Strengthens International Law-Enforcement Cooperation
Al Marzouqi highlighted the UAE’s efforts through the International Initiative for Law Enforcement for Climate (I2LEC), launched in partnership with UNODC in 2023.
The initiative seeks to strengthen law-enforcement preparedness, specialised training, information sharing and joint operations to tackle crimes affecting the environment and climate.
She also presented the results of Operation “Green Shield 2026,” which brought together law-enforcement agencies from several South American countries with support and leadership from the UAE through I2LEC.
The operation focused on criminal networks involved in illegal mining and logging, wildlife trafficking, fuel smuggling and the illegal seizure of land in the Amazon Basin, demonstrating the UAE’s emphasis on practical international cooperation against environmental crime.
“Abu Dhabi Call to Action” Calls for Concrete Global Measures
During the session, Al Marzouqi launched the “Abu Dhabi Call to Action,” urging the international community to move beyond commitments and translate environmental pledges into concrete measures.
The initiative calls for broader international engagement, stronger joint law-enforcement operations and greater prominence for combating environmental crime on the global agenda.
UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly said environmental crime represents a growing challenge to justice, security and the rule of law. She noted that criminal networks increasingly exploit natural resources for illicit profits and often maintain links with other forms of organised crime, including drug trafficking, arms smuggling and human trafficking.
International Partners Welcome Stronger Cooperation
French Minister of Justice Gérald Darmanin highlighted the importance of international dialogue in confronting emerging crime and security challenges, identifying drug trafficking and environmental crime as priorities for France.
Lucas Philippe, representing INTERPOL, stressed the need for stronger operational cooperation to track cross-border criminal networks and disrupt their activities.
Representing Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor General’s Office, Vugar Aliyev emphasised the importance of strengthening national investigative and prosecutorial capacities while expanding the exchange of expertise and best practices.
The Abu Dhabi session underscored the UAE’s role in bringing governments, international organisations and law-enforcement agencies together around a common objective: protecting the environment, strengthening global security and turning international commitments into measurable action.
BY: The Times Union
