Your Excellencies, esteemed guests, ladies and gentlemen,
It is a profound privilege to stand before you today.
My sincere gratitude goes to the Government of the United Arab Emirates for facilitating this gathering, as well as to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and its Executive Director for their exemplary leadership.
The United Kingdom places immense value on its partnership with the UAE, particularly in our collective efforts to combat illicit finance.
This collaboration is central to the theme of this Congress: crime knows no borders.
It is becoming increasingly organised and sophisticated, necessitating a response that is equally interconnected and relentless.
Our approach must be rooted in co-operation and a shared resolve to act together.
Addressing Violence Against Women and Girls
In the fight against violence towards women and girls, this sentiment is of utmost importance.
Domestically, the UK has set an ambitious target: to reduce such violence by half over the next decade.
However, our commitment extends beyond our own borders.
We aspire for women and girls worldwide to live free from fear, whether they are in physical spaces or online.
As our lives increasingly transition into the digital realm, so too does the threat of abuse.
The technology that connects and empowers also has the potential to intimidate and harm.
Later today, the United Kingdom will host a side event focused on technology-facilitated violence against women and girls, and I encourage your participation.
Together, we can forge truly global solutions aimed at safeguarding our women.
Combatting Fraud on a Global Scale
A comprehensive global response is equally essential in the fight against fraud.
This year, the United Kingdom took great pride in being the principal donor to the UNODC-INTERPOL Global Fraud Summit.
Now, we must translate the commitments made during the summit into concrete actions.
I look forward to engaging in discussions this week aimed at maintaining our momentum and enhancing our response.
The UK is also dedicated to the UNODC’s Global Programme on Implementing the Organised Crime Convention and actively promotes the Organised Crime Strategy Toolkit.
Our efforts support thousands of practitioners across twenty countries globally.
In addition, we are increasing our investment by £1.5 million this year to bolster initiatives that address organised crime.
Adapting to the Digital Landscape
As criminals increasingly operate in the online sphere, it is crucial that our capabilities evolve in tandem.
Today, virtually every serious investigation relies on digital evidence, making it imperative that agencies have access to the necessary data to combat serious and organised crime.
Ensuring that this access is coupled with appropriate oversight is a priority for the UK.
We will continue to collaborate with our international partners to enhance policing and justice systems, sharing our expertise and knowledge widely.
Embracing Opportunities in AI
Looking ahead, the advancements in artificial intelligence present us with remarkable opportunities to provide swifter, fairer justice for the communities we serve.
The UK is pursuing these developments responsibly through our AI Action Plan, while prioritising public trust, human rights, and the rule of law in all our initiatives.
It is clear that no single nation can tackle these challenges in isolation.
Only through the sharing of expertise and collaborative efforts can we construct justice systems that are stronger, more effective, and trusted, ultimately leading to safer societies for all.
Commitments for the Future
I am eager to see the outcomes of this Congress. In the pursuit of advancing crime prevention and criminal justice, I pledge that between 2026 and 2031, the UK will:
- Provide financial support to dismantle transnational scam networks in Southeast Asia and enhance our collective response to fraud.
- Build capacity within Ukraine’s justice system, including prisons, probation, and rehabilitation, while continuing support for law enforcement and criminal justice reform.
- Initiate a call for evidence regarding online misogynistic image-based abuse, aiming to identify emerging harms and our responses to them.
- Implement effective safeguards on mobile devices to prevent children from taking, sharing, or viewing nude images, legislating for compliance if necessary.
- Continue our support for the UNODC’s Global Programme on Implementing the Organised Crime Convention, assisting states in developing evidence-based responses to transnational organised crime.
- Facilitate the protection of survivors who cross borders by hosting the inaugural Hague Conference Working Group meeting in London later this year to bolster international cooperation.
Thank you.