The United Arab Emirates (UAE), through its Ministry of Interior, has been appointed to the Steering Committee of the Global Congress on Chemical Security and Emerging Threats of INTERPOL, making it the first country in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region to hold such membership.
What this means
- The Steering Committee, established in 2022, is a multi-sector, multinational advisory body responsible for defining the priorities and activities of the Global Congress on Chemical Security.
- Membership allows the UAE to contribute to strategic decision-making, shape global programmes on chemical safety, and participate in knowledge-exchange and preparedness initiatives involving over 2,000 international experts.
- The UAE hosted a two-day Steering Committee meeting in Abu Dhabi, where high-level international participation discussed chemical threats, advanced technologies, and capacity building.
Strategic context & significance
- By joining this committee, the UAE reaffirms its role as a key international partner in security and collective action against chemical-terror threats.
- The move enhances the UAE’s standing in global enforcement and chemical-security cooperation, especially within the GCC region where no other state has held this position.
- It aligns with the UAE’s broader efforts in strengthening domestic and regional safeguards in the realms of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) risk mitigation.
What to watch going forward
- How the UAE will implement its role: which national agencies will lead on executing committee decisions, and how much of the global agenda will translate into domestic policy.
- Engagement with industry, academia and regulatory bodies in the UAE and the region to support chemical-security frameworks and capacity building.
- The next steps of the Global Congress on Chemical Security: upcoming exercises (such as the one mentioned in Brazil) and how UAE-led initiatives will feature.