UAE’S climate initiative gets global laurels

ABU DHABI: The UAE’S International Initiative of Law Enforcement for Climate (I2LEC) pledge, presented by the UAE’S Ministry of Interior, gained support from more than 20 countries and civil society organisations from across the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Asia and North and South America.

The pledge was conceptualised by the Global Expert Working Group which gathers representatives of the Ministry of Interior, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and its partners to provide strategic guidance to I2LEC, a plaform coordinating global law enforcement community’s response to climate change.

Lt. General Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, stated that in line with the vision of the country’s wise leadership, the UAE continues to put forward international initiatives to promote coordination and international action in all fields.

He pointed out that the UAE’S hosting of COP28 constitutes an opportunity to find realistic and practical solutions to the various challenges facing today’s world. Hosting such an event also highlights the role of the UAE in promoting international dialogue, cooperation, and coordination. It requires all state institutions to work together towards the goals and orientations set by the leadership, therefore preserving the UAE’S development levels as well as its advanced position on global competitiveness indicators.

A er the I2LEC won wide international support at the meetings of the United Nations commitees held in Vienna, Sheikh Saif said in a statement that law enforcement agencies have always worked according to two inseparable tracks: combating criminal threats today and proactively addressing the challenges of tomorrow. He added that there is no greater challenge today than the threat of climate change. “It is indeed a reality that needs to be recognised on a global scale to best manage the rapidly evolving climate change scenarios.”

Sheikh Saif expressed his thanks and appreciation to the international community for the broad support that the initiative received immediately aer its announcement and for its adoption during the 32nd session of the United Nations Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.

He added, “Such a step fosters optimism regarding the success of the joint response to this common challenge. The initiative will continue its journey among the international community to obtain more support, with the aim of gathering as much support as possible. This will be achieved by raising the level of global awareness, strengthening international cooperation and cooperation between institutions, in addition to operational and research capabilities, with the hope that the initiative will serve as a model framework for increasing the flexibility of the law enforcement community’s global response to climate change.”

The UAE Minister of Interior further described the pledge as a unique opportunity to raise the profile of law enforcement agencies’ role in climate change mitigation, ahead of the COP28 that will be hosted in Dubai from Nov.30 to Dec.12, 2023.

The side event, organised on the margins of the 32nd session of the UN Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, was a panel discussion between senior officials of the UAE, UNODC, the International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) and the Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI).

The panellists highlighted the importance of giving law enforcement agencies the means to effectively address crimes that affect the environment, including by supporting further research and analysis into the paterns, trends and impacts of such crimes.

They also stressed the importance of involving the international law enforcement community in the climate change dialogue, to beter anticipate and mitigate related challenges that may impact law enforcement operations.