I am honored to have been elected to serve as the next President of INTERPOL. My sincere thanks to all of my global law enforcement colleagues for their overwhelming show of support and confidence.

Through the continuous support of the wise leadership in the United Arab Emirates, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, and his brothers, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, we have been able to achieve this milestone.

And I would like to thank His Highness Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior of the United Arab Emirates.

With their guidance and expertise, the UAE has become one of the safest countries in the world. I will bring this knowledge to my new role.

Policing has been my life’s work, and I am fully dedicated to making people and communities safer. Over the past forty years from a police cadet to now, as President of INTERPOL, this simple principle has driven and guided me.

I am very proud to be from the UAE, recently recognized as one of the world’s safest places. With the encouragement and support of leadership, we have modernized our forces with enhanced training, upgraded technology, and the promotion of women.  I also believe that the UAE continues to be the most important force for positive change in the world’s most difficult region.

In preparing for this new role, I have travelled widely and listened carefully to the views of INTERPOL members. My agenda for INTERPOL reflects their collective priorities.

As the new President, I will help INTERPOL to:

• Modernize its technical capabilities to fight increasingly sophisticated transnational crime networks dealing in human trafficking, cyber fraud, fake vaccines, child exploitation and other threats;
• Promote the advancement of women and other underrepresented groups to make sure that policing better reflects the communities they serve;
• Meet new challenges like climate change and COVID that are putting new demands on policing;
• Incorporate diverse views and experiences from member countries;
• Generate funding and funding models for a sustainable organization.

I will work hand-in-hand with the Executive Committee to prevent inappropriate influence that would undermine or compromise INTERPOL’s essential mission. I will also continue to reaffirm a core tenet of our profession—that police abuse or mistreatment of any kind is abhorrent and intolerable. The credibility and standing of INTERPOL and global law enforcement is our most important asset.

INTERPOL is an indispensable organization built on the strength of its partnerships. It is this collaborative spirit, united in mission, that I will continue to foster as we work to make a safer world for people and communities.