Mission of the United Arab Emirates: UNCOPS Side-Events

Good morning, Excellencies, Chiefs of Police and Gendarmerie, heads of delegation, colleagues from the United Nations and member states, ladies and gentlemen. My name is Dolapo Badmus. I'm an Assistant Commissioner of Police. I'm the Police Advisor, Federal Republic of Nigeria, to the United States. I sincerely welcome you all to this epoch-making event of the Strategic Police Advisory Group themed Policing in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. It is no gainsaying that the evolution of AI has made policing an increasingly Herculean task. While the security sector will not capitulate to the negative side effects of AI, it's necessary we take a step ahead of its bias and risks. We must harness this technology to the advancement of global peace and security, and it is in line with this resolution that we are gathered today to bring insight into this. It is my honor to welcome the opening speech from the Under-Secretary-General of Peace Operations in the United Nations, Mr. Jean-Paul Lacroix. Please give him your full attention as you listen to the video. Thank you all and have a wonderful session. Thank you.

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, it is an honor to open this important discussion I thank the Strategic Police Advisory Group for convening this UN-COPS side event. I also pay tribute to the women and men of United Nations Police and—

And to the member states that make their service possible. As IAG Group, for convening— It is an honor to open this important discussion. I thank the Strategic Police Advisory Group for convening this UN-COPS side event. I also pay tribute to women and men of United Nations Police and to the Member States that make their service possible. As I address you today, United Nations peacekeepers face increasingly complex, contested, and digitally connected environments and challenges. Information now moves faster than institutions. Falsehoods can cross borders in seconds. Digital platforms can amplify grievances, mobilize violence, and undermine trust in public institutions. Artificial intelligence will only accelerate these trends. We are on the brink of a fundamental transformation in how societies are governed, how institutions deliver services, and how conflicts are shaped and perceived. The question for us is not whether United Nations peacekeeping will be affected by artificial intelligence, because it already is. The question is, how can we shape its use to serve peace, protect civilians, and uphold the values of the United Nations? The Secretary-General has said that peacekeeping was conceived in an analog world. It must now embrace the digital world in which we live. That is precisely what we aim to achieve when we speak of the digital transformation of United Nations peacekeeping. In the Department of Peace Operations at Headquarters, and in the missions we support, technology is a means to strengthen mandate delivery, enhance the safety and security of peacekeepers, and improve organizational effectiveness. We seek to use AI to make our operations more agile, anticipatory, and effective, and to better protect the personnel we deploy and the populations we serve. In practice, that means improved data and situational awareness to help missions understand threats earlier and coordinate responses more effectively. In our peacekeeping operations in Cyprus, the Central African Republic, and South Sudan, platforms such as UNITE-AWARE support incident reporting, patrol planning, and and real-time operational visibility. This helps UN Police to adjust deployments based on live developments and improve coverage in sensitive areas. The Comprehensive Planning and Performance Assessment System, or CPAS, is now used across all United Nations peacekeeping missions to support trend analysis and operational planning. This gives leadership better insight into where police presence is most needed and how to allocate resources based on evidence. In our peacekeeping operations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic, we pilot rollout of the monitoring and analysis of the information environment system, and it is helping our missions to understand and respond to misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech that can incite violence thus endangering civilians and peacekeepers alike. Dear colleagues, the Department of Peace Operations approaches artificial intelligence as part of a broader digital transformation agenda. AI can make a difference in several ways. It can help process large volumes of information and identify patterns. It can strengthen logistics and make better use of limited resources. It can also support early warning and analysis and help personnel make better-informed decisions in difficult environments. But better tools do not replace judgment. They do not replace the trust between peacekeepers and communities, leadership accountability, or human responsibility. That is why the United Nations approach to artificial intelligence must be grounded in the principles we are mandated to uphold: international law, human rights, transparency, accountability, and meaningful human oversight. The Global Digital Compact reflects this direction. It calls for safe, secure, and trustworthy AI, closing digital and capacity divides, and ensuring that AI governance is inclusive, human rights-based, and anchored in international cooperation. These principles are especially important in conflict-affected countries. In such environment, a biased data set, a manipulated video, or an opaque automated decision can have consequences far beyond the digital sphere. They can inflame tensions, put people at risk, and erode confidence in institutions. This is also why the policing dimension is so important. Police are often the most visible face of the state. In peace operations, United Nations Police help strengthen national capacities, rebuild trust, and support responsive, representative, and accountable policy. As AI enters policymaking, these same values must guide its use. We must avoid 2 extremes: rejecting innovation because of its risk, or embracing it without the safeguards that public trust requires. Our responsibility is to advance innovation with discipline and to ensure that technology remains in service of people, not the other way around. I therefore welcome today's discussion, which brings together all the right stakeholders— political leaders, police executives, practitioners, and partners. Together, you can help ensure that artificial intelligence strengthens accountable policing, enhances peacekeeping, and contributes to a safer, more just, and more peaceful world. I wish you a productive exchange. Thank you.

It's not artificial intelligence. I have to be on the 2 sides on the same table in the same time. It's real life. Good morning, everybody. Excellencies, ministers, chiefs of police and gendarmerie, colleagues, and friends. Welcome to the very first SPAG side event. I am Emmanuel Ouzé, Police Advisor for France, and I share the SPAG chair with 2 great colleagues, Dolapo Badmos, Police Advisor for Nigeria, and our chair, Said Al-Dhairi, Police Advisor for the United Arab Emirates. Before we start, a few words of thanks. USG Jean-Pierre Lacroix could not be here today, but he sent us an inspiring video message. Thank you, USG Lacroix, and through him, thank you to the UN Police Division, UNODC, UNICRIM, and all our UN partners for their support. Thank you also to our panelists. It's a true privilege to have such an outstanding panel with us today, and I will let our moderator, my friend Audran McCarthy from, from Unicredit, introduce you properly in a moment. And thank you, all of you, for coming in such great numbers. It shows that this topic matters to you, and it matters to us too. Now, a very quick word about SPAG, Strategic Police Advisory Group. We are police advisors from permanent missions to the United Nations. Different countries, different police traditions, one shared goal: better cooperation on policing and better dialogue inside the UN community. SPAG is not a negotiating body. It is a community of professionals, a place to share experience, exchange ideas, and build trust between institutions. Many of you already support SPAG, and we thank you for that. And if your country does not yet have a police advisor in New York, let me be direct: come and join us. We need your experience. We need your perspective. And we need your voice. One last announcement before I close. Today, SPAG launches its LinkedIn page. Please follow us. I know a LinkedIn page will not make the history books, but we want also to be proud of that achievement. Today is only the first step. AI and policing will bring many more conversations within SPAG and hopefully strong partnerships in the months ahead. I will stop here. You did not come to hear me, you came to hear our speakers. Odran, the floor is yours. Thank you.

Great.

Thank you, Emmanuel. Good morning, everyone. My name is Oren McCarthy. I'm the Liaison Officer for UNICRIRI, the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute, based here in New York, and I have the distinct honor and pleasure of moderating today's discussion. Just to say, maybe to start on a light note, I was given explicit request to make sure that we are done no later than 11:22. But with a 20-minute delay in starting, it's going to be a tough job. So I will do my best, so wish me well. That being said, just to start, let me express my thanks and appreciation to the Permanent Missions of France, UAE, and Nigeria, and of course to SPAG, for convening this event, and for providing the opportunity to moderate this discussion. I'd like to start maybe just by setting the scene briefly, talking a little bit more about AI in law enforcement, AI in policing in general, and I think what's important for us from our side, responsible AI innovation. I'd like to echo a little bit just US Chief Lacroix's— some of the remarks he made. He specifically said that the question is not whether AI will impact, it's how. And indeed, I think when we think about AI in a policing context, we think about AI It's important to think about AI not as, as the integration of a novel extra, something new, a new toy to play with. This is an operational reality. It's something that we don't necessarily want, we need. The policing community needs to work with AI to keep pace with the rapidly changing, evolving nature of policing as a function. I myself have had the pleasure of working in this space for the past 10 years at Unicry. We have been working extensively on the topic of, in particular, responsible AI innovation. In a policing context. We have, over the course of several years, with partners, in particular Interpol, developed out what we consider is the blueprint for responsible AI innovation in law enforcement, which is a practical guide aimed at supporting law enforcement agencies to develop AI capabilities and importantly to do so responsibly. We are now moving on to the second phase of that work where we are taking that framework that we've developed, that blueprint, and working specifically with specific agencies to test and try to see if that framework is useful and implementable in a practical law enforcement context. And I'm delighted to see some of the agencies that we're working with are here in the room with us today. We also have over the years worked together with the United Arab Emirates on the AI for Safer Children initiative, where we take specific AI tools and we try to see how we can use them in the context of investigations into child sexual abuse. And this is a very important area, and I think it's one of the areas where we see a lot of emerging tech already being developed and a lot of good practices in terms of how we integrate into investigative workflows, and again, how we do that responsibly. And as I said, we've been working in this space for the past 10 years, and I just wanted to share, maybe just to set the scene, I think a couple of key takeaways, I think, from our side, from the— from our work in this space. Um, first of all, it's this, um, we tend to think about, um, you know, how do we make sure that the AI systems we develop when we integrate into agencies are effective? Um, I think it's important to think, um, about when we think about responsible AI, that effective AI is responsible AI, and responsible AI is effective AI. And I think that's important language that we just need to take with us when we talk about making sure that the use of AI systems is responsible, compliant with human rights. That's really making sure that our AI systems are effective and vice versa. Um, another important point that I'd like to stress and emphasize is leadership. Um, of course, we are here at the UN Chiefs of Police Summit and we have leadership from all around the world. Um, cannot underscore, I think, the importance of leadership, um, in driving innovation, in being that, that, that, you know, element that, that pushes innovation and transformation, digital transformations within agencies. Um, over the years, we have worked, um, extensively at the working level with counterparts in agencies. And the message we always receive back from the counterparts is, we understand these issues, we understand the importance of, of effective AI, of responsible AI, but if we want to make the change, you have to talk to the chief. And so now we have the chiefs here, and I'm delighted again just to thank SPAG for convening this discussion, of having this conversation around how do we integrate AI effectively and responsibly. And another final point is public trust. And this is something that keeps coming up in our work, and we know very much that It is difficult to build and maintain public trust, and once we lose trust, it's very, very difficult to rebuild it. Obviously, the public has very, very strong opinions about AI. Sometimes those opinions are very well informed, sometimes they're not very well informed, but regardless, they are opinions that are held. And I think if we want to integrate AI within our functions, we need to navigate these opinions, and we need to work proactively to build trust with these communities and to engage them around law enforcement use of AI. I brought a couple of copies of a publication we recently published on public perceptions of AI in policing. I left them by the doors. If we're gone, I can certainly provide a couple more, just approach me afterwards. But again, as I said, it's just important, I think, that we take the public, we take our communities with us on this journey, because we can't do it on our own. In any case, I just wanted to quickly mention these 3 points: responsible AI, leadership, and public trust. And obviously these 3 are all very much intersected, and I'm delighted to say that we will, over the course of the next hour or so, be covering all of these points in detail. So as Emmanuel said, you're not here to listen to him, you're also not here to listen to me, so I will now move on to the next part of it, and I'm delighted to introduce our 2 keynote speakers, who will talk to us a little bit more from their respective fields. First of all, I have the honor and pleasure to introduce the President of Interpol, Mr. Luca Philippe. Mr. Luca Philippe was elected the President of Interpol at the 93rd Interpol General Assembly held in Morocco in November 2025 for a 4-year term. He also serves as advisor for European and international affairs to the Director General of the French National Police. I think importantly for this discussion, just to flag that he has also been involved in co-founding 2 technology and security startups in Singapore, so it's great to bring in that law enforcement and practical private sector perspective. And prior to his presidency, he joined the National Director of Judicial Police and was appointed as International Relations Advisor to the Director overseeing France's Interpol National Central Bureau. And so we're delighted to have Mr. President Philippe with us. Secondly, I'm also very, very honored to be able to introduce the President of Microsoft Global Affairs, Ms. Lisa Monaco. Ms. Monaco is the President of Microsoft Global Affairs, where she leads the company's global policy work and engagement with governments and international organizations around the world. In this role, she is responsible for advancing Microsoft's global policy and trust agenda, championing responsible leadership of technology policy, including national security and cybersecurity, digital sovereignty, and AI governance, while strengthening strategic partnerships with government and international institutions. And prior to that, Ms. Monaco served as the 39th Deputy Attorney General to the United States from 2021 to 2025. And so we're delighted to have Ms. Monaco and Mr. Philippe with us. So with that, I will now pass the floor to Mr. President Philippe for his intervention.

Over to you.

Thank you so much, Audran. So good morning, buenos días, bonjour, salaam alaikum. I recently came across an interview in The Economist with Professor Max Tegmark from MIT, and he remarked that artificial intelligence is currently less regulated than a sandwich shop. So it's a provocative comparison, but it captures a real challenge. Technology is moving exponentially while governance is moving incrementally. Law enforcement operates between those 2 realities every day. Tougher criminals are not waiting for regulation. So OCGs have always been early adopters of technology, and AI is no exception. Today, around 80% of criminals already integrate AI into parts of their operations. AI-enabled fraud is estimated to be 4.5 times more profitable than traditional methods. Autonomous agentic AI systems are beginning to automate entire fraud campaigns. We already see the consequences in real life. Phishing emails have become almost impossible to distinguish from legitimate communication. Deepfakes allow criminals to clone voices and faces from only a few seconds of audio or video. Scam centers, which Interpol has tracked extensively across Southeast Asia and increasingly in West Africa, are now using AI to analyze victim victims' reactions in real time and optimize their scripts to maximize financial returns. Global financial fraud losses reached an estimated $442 billion last year. AI is not creating new criminals. It's allowing existing criminal networks to operate faster, cheaper, and at greater scale. So AI is also transforming policing, I would say, when it works. The challenge for policing is fundamentally different. Organized crime has become global— local— digital, and data-intensive. A single investigation may involve victims in a country, perpetrators in another, financial flows crossing several jurisdictions, Evidence spread across millions of electronic communications, multiple languages, different legal systems. Investigators are not lacking information, they are overwhelmed by it. So one of AI's greatest contributions is therefore very simple: it gives investigators time back. Time to analyze, time to prioritize, time to investigate. So our topic is simplicity, actually. How we decipher this complexity is not Simplicity, complexity, how we better understand what is at stake. So this is already transforming areas such as, for example, so the use case, you know it, intelligence analysis, financial investigations, criminal networks analysis, language, border security, and so on. For example, Interpol's ICSE database, so ICSE, it means Interpol Child Sexual Abuses, exploitation, sorry, has helped identify more than 64,000 child victims worldwide. AI now helps investigators compare enormous volumes of images faster, allowing them to focus on victim identification while reducing exposure to traumatic material. So that is very important when we focus on human capital, and that is very important. It is what Mr. Lacroix said, and if we want to stay the course, we have to invest in human capital. So through the Interpol Global Complex for Innovation, IGCRI, in Singapore, we are also helping our member countries build these capacities— capabilities through operational support, training, and partnerships with academia and industry. So we— there is a virtuous model. We invest in Our work with UNITRI since 2018, including the Toolkit for Responsible AI and the APOL program, follows exactly the same objective: to further advance and globally embed the concept of AI— of responsible AI, excuse me— innovation in law enforcement. Because investigators will not be replaced by AI, except if AI means authentic intelligence. So I think that we need to shift in the Pareto law, 80/20 to 20/80. But investigators who know how to use AI effectively will increasingly outperform those who do not. So no need to say that, uh, we know really what is at stake, uh, collectively, especially regarding the human, uh, cognitive autonomy, which is a very important topic to if we want to stress our strengths. The public trust— the public problem— the public trust problem, sorry, which is other than technology problem, is a very important focus we need to have collectively. We all know that AI requires data to function. The more data that is shared, the more effective AI becomes. It's very simple. If you want to receive, you need to give. But the more data is shared, the greater the perceived risk to national sovereignty and civil liberties becomes, and the greater the concerns about the security become. Paradox is a kind of new normal for us as brothers and sisters in blue. The biggest obstacle to AI adoption in law enforcement is not technical— models, computing power, data, and so on. The obstacle is trust. Trust is not a statement. Trust is what we experience in our daily life. And that's funny that in cyber we speak about zero trust concept, meaning that if you want to have more trust at the human level, you need to have zero trust at the technical level. That is really something, an equation that we need to take into account.

Thank you.

Also, increasingly, sovereignty sits at the heart of that trust and the intersection between citizens, governments, and private sector. These 3 groups of stakeholders are actually asking similar questions. How are decisions made? So that is the question of patterns. Can they be audited, explained, and challenged? That's the question of relevance. How is bias prevented? It's reality versus post-reality. So it's a question of truth. Who is accountable when mistakes occur? So the question of responsibility. Where is the data stored and who can access it? So the question of robustness of our systems. And how are decisions governed and oversight ensured? It's a question of positive impact and purpose. These are not only technical questions. They are questions of trust, accountability, governance, and sovereignty. Data may be the fuel of AI, but trust remains the fuel of international police cooperation, our DNA. At Interpol, we understand this well, so we try to better navigate with the equation of unknown, uncertainty, unthinkable, and so on, because we are doers, and it's time— it's a call for action. It's time for doers now. Sovereignty is not only a core requirement expressed by our member countries, it's also fully aligned with our own values of neutrality, independence, and trust. This is why Interpol operates its own secure cloud and data center infrastructure designed specifically to protect sensitive law enforcement information. It's also why we have developed our own large language model in-house. That is a choice we have done with a strong focus on transparency, security, and reducing bias as much as possible. And because trust also requires choice and flexibility, users can select the model that best fits their preferences and requirements. It's not so easy, huh? We have made some choices, huh? So to conclude, in a nutshell, I would say that today many governments and organizations are developing AI frameworks. While this is positive, it also creates fragmentation. For law enforcement, this fragmentation directly affects operational cooperation. International organizations can really help reduce this risk. We know collect the dots and now it's connect the dots. Our job is really to find the best way to put bridges in our— to connect our universe environments. Our role is not to regulate AI or replace national decision-making. It's also to provide trusted platforms that connect governments, law enforcement, academia, and the private sector to better channel, prioritize, and operationalize our operationalize our ideas. So it's a kind of digital Medici effect, putting different people around the table. What I love in Interpol is that we work with non-like-minded countries that push us to think out of the box and there to have this feedback loop, you know. It's really something which is really unique. So I'm proud to be the president and to embody this collective, collaborative approach we have. So we all have the dream to work hard for a safer world and a desired future. Thank you very much. Less than 10 minutes, 7.50.

Very much appreciated. Um, let's keep that up for the rest. Um, no, thank you very much. It is, uh, honestly, it's a pleasure to have you here. We're delighted for the insights you shared in terms of AI and the future of policing, and of course the important work that Interpol itself is doing. A quick recap, I think just 4 words I think really came out of that: trust, accountability, governance, and sovereignty. And again, as you said, the importance of this is not a technical issue, this is a human issue. And it reminded me, actually, we did an event recently on AI and the future of policing, trying to again understand how we navigate this space, operationalizing responsible AI. And really the main takeaway from that event is that the future of policing, integrating AI effectively, responsibly, is very much classical fundamental policing done right, done better, police reform. So I think that the two issues are very much intersected, the future of policing and the fundamentals of policing. So thank you.

Better or joiner, I agree with you. Future of policing resonates if you work on present of police. not only future of policing. We need really to better connect future of policing and present of police because we are just in a crossroads. That is the perception we have, us as police officers in the field. We can really hone on our decision-making process because we know the complexity and now we navigate with the ambiguity. But I think that it's a very interesting moment where we have to converge. And that's the reason why I'm very happy to be here, modestly, with humility, because, you know, it's not so easy, but I think that there is a kind of global coalition, and that's good news.

Thank you very much. With that, I think I'll now pass to Ms. Lisa Monaco for her keynote address. Over to you.

Thank you so much. It's a pleasure to be here with you this morning. First, thank you to SPAG for having us, for convening us, and allowing me to join you. It's a real privilege to be here with you. As was referenced, I come to this role having served as the Deputy Attorney General of the United States, and in that role I had the privilege to lead an organization that included tens of thousands of law enforcement professionals, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and thousands of other law enforcement professionals. So I know well the challenges and the hard work that go into the jobs that you and the men and women that you lead every day. I know what that work is about and the challenges you face. So first, let me begin by saying thank you. Thank you for your service. Thank you for all that you and the men and women that you lead do every single day to keep our communities safe, including our international community. After 25 years in public service, in law enforcement, public safety, and national security, I have seen, as you all have seen, as has been referenced already from this dais, that technology— technology shifts reach law enforcement eventually. And that pattern is, of course, being felt today with AI. AI is shaping the threat landscape and acting both as a tool and, of course, as a weapon by the malicious actors that you all confront every single day. The challenge, I think, for us and for this discussion is to ensure that we can work effectively together to make sure that we are harnessing the benefits and the opportunities that this technology presents while being attentive to the risks, of course, but that we are harnessing those— that capability to make collectively and working in partnership our communities safer, to strengthen public trust, and to ensure that we're— we are really making the best use of this technology as we go forward. At Microsoft, our mission is quite literally to empower every individual and organization on the planet to achieve more, and that includes working to help protect customers, the governments with whom we work, and communities from threats of all kinds. And we have a unique vantage point in this work. Microsoft sees 100 trillion security signals every single day. That's quite a number to get your head around, actually. And that knowledge and that capability gives us insights. We see how AI is transforming how criminal networks operate. How it is accelerating fraud, how it's enabling more sophisticated crime, how it is also lowering the barriers to entry from and by malicious actors of all, of all types. But the good news is it also is and can aid the defenders, all of you and the men and women that you lead. It is capable of giving all of us new tools to accelerate our own investigations, to improve our analysis, and in short, to better protect the public. So to ensure that we are doing everything we can to work in partnership to ensure that we are harnessing these benefits while managing the risks, I thought I'd share 4 principles that I hope can help us guide our work together. The first is, and has already been observed from this dais, that trustworthy AI, and I emphasize trustworthy AI, can enhance modern law enforcement work and make it more effective. My career in law enforcement and national security has enabled me to learn that the public's trust is critical. It is essential to effective law enforcement. People will not support the use of technology that they don't trust. And they won't support its use by companies that provide services, and they won't support its use by public safety professionals if they don't trust that technology and how we are collectively using it. That's why at Microsoft we believe quite firmly that AI should augment human judgment, not replace it. This is especially true when the decisions that are at issue are ones affecting fundamental rights, affecting liberties, affecting public safety. People must ultimately be the decision makers when those are the decisions that are at issue. Now, modern law enforcement, as you all know much better than me, face the challenge most acutely not of a lack of information, but a glut of it. There is a veritable tsunami, I think, coming at all of you every single day, and the challenge is how to make the best use of that information, how to do so in a timely and effective way. We face this challenge at Microsoft. For nearly 2 decades, we have had something called the Digital Crimes Unit, where we have investigated investigators, lawyers, analysts working to make sense of those security signals that I mentioned previously. How can we harness that information most effectively, share it with our international law enforcement partners to then work collectively under the law to disrupt malicious activity? To do so, our own analysts have to make sense of reams and reams of data. That's why we developed an AI-powered internal tool called Haystack— good name, I think— which automatically tags likely threat intelligence indicators, makes sense of that from large volumes of legal and forensic data, so that tasks that once required days really now of human review can now be consolidated and done in minutes, enabling faster disruption, faster action, enabling us to share complex cyber threat information and insights more effectively with our law enforcement partners, with defenders, with customers. The second principle is that trust in AI depends on trust in the data and the infrastructure that supports that AI. Evidence is moving, of course, from physical files now to digital systems, so public trust in law enforcement's use of technology depends fundamentally on secure data, on strong governance, and on accountability. Agencies— law enforcement agencies as well as companies must know where that data resides, who can access it, how it's protected, how it's audited, how we are accountable for its use. Citizens and governments alike need confidence that sensitive law enforcement data is secure, that it's governed consistent with national laws and with democratic values. After all, poor governance only invites malicious use, invites cyberattacks, weakens confidence, and risks at bottom undermining trust in AI and trust, quite frankly, in law enforcement. Trust in AI depends on trust in the data, in the infrastructure, and the governance that undergirds all of it. The third principle is that partnerships are the foundation of public safety. That is true. That has been true for millennia. I think it is even more true today in the AI era. Partnerships have always been core to public safety. I think it's very fitting that I'm sitting here next to the president of Interpol, where when I was the Deputy Attorney General, I had the privilege of celebrating the 100th birthday of Interpol in 2023. And at its founding, Interpol was, what, 20 nations communicating by, I think, telegram and maybe telephone, you know, shortly after its founding. And today, more than 190 countries with a 24/7 tech-driven network for law enforcement exchange of insights globally. So this next era that we are talking about today will require even deeper partnerships for AI-enabled public safety. Every meaningful and impactful success that I have seen in my public service and today at Microsoft when it comes to battling cybercrime, ransomware, national security threats, fraud networks, transnational criminal organizations, you name it, every impactful success against those threat actors comes from collaboration between government and industry. I believe that very, very firmly. So partnership is even more critical in the age of AI. That's why at Microsoft, we are working day and night with international law enforcement partners to help identify threats faster, to strengthen cyber defenses, and improve resilience. Just an example of this, very recently, our Digital Crimes Unit partnered with German, Dutch, and Danish law enforcement to disrupt the Amadei and SteelSea cybercrime ecosystem. Our Digital Crimes Unit used AI to analyze malicious code, uncover the hidden connections between these malware entities, and ultimately to disrupt the criminal infrastructure that was being put to use by these entities, enabling the disruption— the identification of thousands and thousands of victims, disrupting more than 200 command and control servers, severing that criminal control of that infrastructure, and helping disrupt this criminal ecosystem. So, the promise of AI is not in replacing human expertise, but in augmenting and making all of us more effective, helping the investigators find that needle in the haystack and make better decisions. Finally, the last principle I would offer is one, again, that I think Lucas also referenced, and that's that AI has got to empower law enforcement humans of the future. We've got to invest in our people. So much discussion today is about will technology and AI replace all of us, will it replace jobs and expertise. At Microsoft, we are focused acutely on successful AI adoption by people. This is ultimately a people enterprise if we are going to do this right and responsibly. AI can, of course, help reduce the administrative burden on all of you and your teams. It can accelerate analysis, support investigations, and improve decision-making, allowing law enforcement professionals to focus on the work that matters most, that requires that human judgment, creating agencies that are more effective, more resilient, and more and better equipped to face the threats of the future. Technology alone is not going to be the answer to the many, many threats that we all are facing. Success ultimately depends on the effectiveness of our people, providing law enforcement professionals the skills that they need to harness this technology in a way that breeds and fosters public trust, public confidence, and in the leadership that is preparing this workforce of the future to govern this technology responsibly, to train and develop the workforce that is needed to harness this technology responsibly. That's the central challenge I think that we face both in the private sector and working together with all of you. So, done right, I think AI will empower law enforcement professionals of the future, strengthen public safety and public trust, and that ultimately has got to be our goal. So, thank you for allowing me to join.

Thank you, Ms. Monaco, for joining us and, of course, for sharing these fantastic insights and, and the very, very practical and deep experience that Microsoft has, of course, in this space. Um, I think very, very important partnership, uh, with the private sector and with the public, uh, that it's a shared journey we're all on and we need to be on together with a view towards augmenting the human capabilities, um, behind policing. And so thank you very much for sharing. Um, with that, that's the, the 2 opening keynotes that we had, um, scheduled, and we're now going to shift into into a high-level interactive discussion, which we kind of already started, which is great. And we're just going to continue. Um, so with that, I'm just going to invite a third speaker to join this, this panel. So I have the pleasure of introducing now Mr. David Polgar, who's the founder and president of All Tech Is Human. Um, David is the founder and leader, leading the organization in advancing responsible tech movements from his particular space. David has led the design and execution of large-scale communities of practice and and convenings that connect thousands of stakeholders across government, industry, civil society, and academia in service of tackling some of the thorny tech and societal issues, increasing responsible AI adoption, and aligning our future, our tech future with public interest. So David's experience and background fits nicely into the conversation we're already having. So with that, I'm just going to invite, we have several questions we're just going to throw at the different speakers. I'm just gonna start with one. that's intended for all speakers. And I think basically that the primary question is, I think, leveraging your participation here, this audience here in the room. So looking around the room, we see that we have senior law enforcement, criminal justice leaders from all across the world. And perhaps I could invite each of the speakers to share with us what is the one mistake you fear that police leaders around the world are at risk of making when it comes to AI. Of course, everyone is concerned about making a mistake, so what is the one mistake we should try to be avoiding? Maybe I could start maybe just by turning over to David for reflection.

All right, first off, thank you for having me. Thank you to SPAG, and thank you for the incredible keynote talks that we both heard. With my pen, I'm taking copious notes. Already so many great statements that directly intertwine, I think, with the conversation that you're talking about, even with the mistakes that are being made. Obviously, we heard the importance of trust. Trust is essential for the community to really get behind the AI that's being kind of employed. And Arun, one of the statements I heard you make that I wrote down was that this isn't a technical issue, right? It's a human issue. That's directly related, I think, to your question about what mistake is being made. As a little bit of background, I started the organization, I'll take a seat Human back in 2018 and kind of grown it to a global community. But that name, I think, is, is really important, I think, to this discussion, right? All tech is human. Similar to what Lisa said, this isn't a tech issue, this is a human issue. So to your question about the mistake I think is being made is oftentimes AI gets mystified in our, you know, public discussions. Therein lies a problem where we tend to view any issue about design, development, and deployment of AI as a technical issue as opposed to a social technical issue or a human issue. In my own work, and what I would kind of recommend for that question for everybody here today, is we obviously have tensions at play. So much of my work is around surfacing values, tensions, trade-offs, and best practices across society, government, industry, academia, and philanthropy. So to your question there, I think the biggest mistake that's oftentimes made is dealing with that kind of impulse to treat it as a tech issue that, that really is being kind of, uh, you know, overwhelmed by the speed of criminal behavior. As we know, there's 2 major issues: the threat landscape and also the operational landscape. I think there's the tension that we're really trying to deal with, that we know criminal behavior is moving much faster than our bureaucracy. So much of my own work deals with trying to lower this delta, a gulf between how fast technology moves and how slow our consideration moves. So to fully kind of answer your question, I really kind of recognize the tension at play, the, you know, empathize with the difficulty that you have. But I definitely notice that speed is something that we have to be mindful of. Obviously, we shouldn't view responsible innovation as antithetical to, you know, correct policing. I think it's something, as was also emphasized in this talk, that effective AI is responsible AI. And it all has to do with trust. I think lastly, to kind of fully answer that question, I think a mistake that's being made, and similar to what Lisa was emphasizing, this is all about trust. So a mistake that's oftentimes made is that these conversations are oftentimes happening in a silo. And I think given the ramifications of policing that intersect with important civil liberties, The public has to feel involved in this process. They have to feel like they have a seat at the proverbial table, all right? So what are their kind of opinions about whether or not the technology should be deployed or implemented, and then how that could be? So I think the mistake that's oftentimes made is that we don't create enough spaces. I think that's why I was excited about being invited today for this conversation. But we need to really— And create those spaces for the public to be heard, because that's what's going to kind of underline and emphasize trust. And that's, that's what's going to allow us to harness the benefits of this technology. That— and get— again, uh, we see the immense kind of need for it. I know one of the major projects we did was around the reduction of AI-generated CSAM with Thorne. So that's where this collaboration really came into play, getting major tech companies to kind of abide by these principles. In a similar fashion, I think for any technology that's being deployed, we need to get the public buy-in for that.

Thank you.

Excellent. Thank you, David. Maybe I could turn to Lisa Monaco.

Sure. I think that the good news is that the mistake that we're all at risk of making— so I wouldn't identify this as solely a mistake that law enforcement leaders are vulnerable to. I think this is true for leaders across the board, no matter what organization or mission that you have. And that is the risk that because of the skepticism, because of the concern about the risks, that we delay adoption of this technology and we delay the harnessing of the benefits that it offers. So, you know, I've been struck by some of the statistics that I've seen around AI skepticism. Interestingly, 30% of the population in North America and Western Europe have confidence in AI. That is a low number when you compare it to the same number in China and the developing world is about 70% have confidence in AI. So, the danger, I think, here is that we run the risk as leaders of letting that AI skepticism, you know, delay or, you know, curtail our adoption of this technology and doing so responsibly. So, the risk I see is one for leaders of all stripes and of all types of organizations in not making this a leadership priority for responsible AI adoption.

Excellent, thank you. And maybe finally, Luca Felipe.

Yes, in a nutshell, what is trust? Trust is respect. So it means that we need to invest on, as you say, collectively how we believe in the promise and the opportunities. We need to be comfortable with the fact that we are exploring possibilities, so I think it's a question of collective skills, but we need to invest in individuals too, and it's a question of understanding of what is at stake. So it's the reason why it is what we say from the very beginning, we need really to focus on the human capital, so we need to recognize and accept not only recognize but accept that AI is here and not going away. The big mistake from my perspective, because it is what I experience, I think the shift for the AI acceptance is recent, I think less than 5 years. If I take the use case of France, for example, in my administration, the question was more the question of why than the how. Now we have really shifted to the the how question, but it's very recent. So it means it's a question of culture, respect, work, structuration of the plan we have. We need to have a roadmap and we need to explain if you want to embark people. It's a question of how we are able to understand what we don't know, perhaps. The first question is what we don't know, and then you focus after what is valuable. So that is my feeling, and so we need to be proactive.

Thank you.

And work on the hybrid mode, failing forward. I think that it's like a startup, actually, but we have to think that at the big scale, but we need to overcome the hook model, so okay, because people have to understand who they are and how they operate, so it's really an interesting period. I think it's a civilizational topic. It's not only the technical one, it is what we say from the beginning of this discussion, but yes, we have to trust in who we are, invest in our people, and then to have the collective approach. That is my feeling. So the risk is not to make the leap of faith, the risk is not to try, because we have to take— we have 2 options, 2 risky options, but we have to assess what is the less risky. The less risky is to try.

Excellent. Thank you. So, I think definitely coming at that trust being— and the human element still being that recurring theme. And then, as you mentioned, Mr. Philippe, the importance of just trying, taking that leap of faith and making that effort. So, with that, I think in the interest of time, we're going to move on to the second round of questions, which are focused on building trusted AI through partnership, which is a topic that was mentioned by Lisa Monaco. quite extensively. So in the interest of time, what I'm gonna do is I'm just gonna read the questions, and then that'll cut me out of the process and we can go directly to you. So basically, first of all, I'd like to turn to Lisa Monaco and ask a little bit about if she could speak about how the private sector partners with law enforcement agencies around the world, considering in particular sovereignty issues that we— that have been mentioned a couple of times. And also, how do we ensure strong governance of AI solutions for law enforcement? Both to protect security and to maintain public trust. And thereafter, then, I'd like to turn to David and maybe to just— if he could share some insights a little bit more in terms of what safeguards, transparency, and accountability mechanisms are essential to— that we would like to see if these partnerships, um, are to be successful and to, to secure that public trust that we've been speaking about. And then finally, um, turning to Interpol, um, with Interpol's unique role at the center of international police cooperation? How can international organizations help translate these partnerships? And so with that, maybe I can turn to Lisa.

Sure. Um, look, I think 2 examples come to mind of the way that we are trying to partner with law enforcement around the world in a way that is consistent, obviously, with national law and with sovereignty concerns that are so prevalent. The first I've already mentioned, our Digital Crimes Unit, the work that we are doing day in and day out with law enforcement partners around the world to help disrupt malicious cyber and AI-fueled cyber activity. We are doing so consistent, of course, with the national laws and requirements of the partners with whom we work. We recently worked with UK law enforcement to disrupt a criminal ecosystem in phishing as a service. Ecosystem. And it is meaningless to do this work if we are not doing so and that our partners don't have confidence that we're doing so consistent with the laws and requirements of their own jurisdictions. We wouldn't be able to have the impact that we need to have and that we are having unless we could make that commitment. The second example I would give is We have.

Accountability, I think that's a major part I'd love to underline, is we shouldn't think that by kind of delegating, you know, any kind of responsibility to technology that we can remove ourselves or absolve ourselves of our responsibility, because I think that's what the public trust is going to depend on. We need some aspect to be held accountable, to answer maybe in a court of law, and that tends to be the human. So obviously, the human-in-the-loop kind of aspect. One part I'd love to kind of circle back on is what this means in practice. I think the general public has heard enough about ethical principles that can oftentimes be vague and open-ended. We're now at that stage with responsible AI or trustworthy AI that we're moving to more concrete mechanisms, as we're seeing happening in Geneva this week around AI governance. So, for example, it's, it's important when we think about partnerships to recognize that there's tension at play. There's a difference between everybody's role here versus that of a private company. Being in law enforcement, you have a public mandate, constitutional constraints, whereas a private sector might have more pressure from a market competition. So what this means in practice can can be when a private vendor wants a public contract. How are we thinking about opening up that code, training data, and testing methodologies to any level of scrutiny? It's a big area that is trying to be explored right now. I think there's a famous phrase that sunlight is the best disinfectant, right? And that really kind of comes into play, that we need more scrutiny of a lot of these systems. Scrutiny, transparency is what leads to trust. And that's what leads to effective policing.

To better visualize how we can shape our, let's say, smart partnership, I will take an example, a use case, online child sexual exploitation, so we can visualize how we can augment, as you say, our common projects and capabilities. First, law enforcement investigates offenses, identifies victims and offenders, and brings perpetrators to justice. 2, Interpol's International Child Sexual Exploitation Database enables investigators worldwide to connect cases and avoid duplicating efforts. 3, tech companies like yours detect abusive content, store digital evidence, and report threats in real time. 4, financial institutions trace payments that reveal offenders and disrupt criminal networks. 5, NGOs support victims and provide expertise on safeguarding and recovery. 6, academia develops new investigative methods and helps anticipate emerging threats, including AI-enabled abuse. 7, AI accelerates image analysis, victim identification, and investigative prioritization while reducing investigators' exposure to traumatic material; and 8, international organizations connect all these actors through our trusted international cooperation frameworks. So, in a nutshell, there is a— it's a kind of learning expedition for sure, because I think that we are defining how we can better combine our joint efforts, but I think that when I share this use case, we see the promise. So we need really to shift from brainstorm to make-storm. Today, I think it's really a call for action. It's not, as we say, the question of why. So for that, we need really to act. We need to be doers. I think that it's an emergency situation, really. We have the habits, we navigate in this intricate world for a long time now, for us. The trust is there, probably, but we need to— you spoke about compliance and so on— it's a question of doing, really. That is, for me, what is so instrumental at this stage.

Excellent, thank you all. I think fantastic points, connecting the dots, understanding the roles and relevance and pieces, the parts that everyone plays. Again, that governance element underscoring everything, accountability, as David had mentioned, and then, as has been mentioned just now, the making storm, moving from discussion to doing, into operationalizing. With that, we had several more questions, but unfortunately we won't have time to run through them, so— but I'm going to jump a little bit ahead in the program and just ask you all, as a final kind of concluding remark, we have like, let me see, 3 minutes left, so we'll be ambitious, we'll solve all the problems in 3 minutes. But just to cast our kind of our eyes ahead, maybe 10 years down the line, and to see if AI has been adopted successfully and responsibly, what would you hope policing has become? Not only technologically but institutionally and also in terms of its relationship with the public. So maybe I could just ask one by one and maybe we'll David, again, you start.

As was mentioned, I think it's about human augmentation, leveraging the— and harnessing the value of this technology. Also, we want to sharpen our focus, not broaden our reach. And lastly, since it wasn't mentioned, with that augmentation, I think it's important to recognize that as humans, we have empathy. That's something that's never going to be outsourced to AI. So how do we think of that in the intersection with AI and policing?

Lisa?

I would say, look, if we look down the— downfield a little bit, 10 years from now, hopefully we have reversed that skepticism statistic that I mentioned. And that will come about only when real people see this technology solving real problems that they experience. And that means how they interact with it and with all of you and the teams that you lead, how it is making their communities safer, right? So, that means responsible adoption. That means the training and the workforce development that is— that is so essential to your teams putting this technology to work in a way that people are really feeling the benefits in the improved analysis, in the rapid resolution of investigations, in the, you know, increased sense of safety and ownership that people feel about their destiny because they're seeing real people in the form of the law enforcement they interact with day in and day out putting this technology to work for the safety of their families.

Excellent.

Thank you. And finally, to the voice of law enforcement on the panel, Luca Filippi.

Thank you. I will be very short. I think that it's a holistic approach, as we understand that. And I would avoid talking about technology to conclude. I would just say that I actually hope that AI becomes invisible. Because if it becomes invisible, it means we can focus on other topics. And we believe, and it's Paul, that security is not a silo. Security is peace. So it speaks that we have the strong belief, it's like a religion, we have a strong belief that we can make the difference collectively, not individually. So I think that we have just to work, doing, doing, doing.

Excellent. Thank you. So with that, miraculously, we are more or less on time. I don't know how we managed, but Fantastic. So, um, from my side, let me just thank our distinguished colleagues and speakers. Um, it's fantastic to have you here and to hear your insights. I think I've personally learned a lot, and I hope also the participants in the audience. So thank you. Um, and with that, I'm just going to hand, um, to— for a quick closing remark— to my dear colleague and friend, um, Saeed. Um, Representative Saïd.

Thank you, Adrian. A lot has been said, uh, except by the chair. So as we bring this session to a close, allow me first to express my sincere appreciation to our distinguished panelists for their valuable insights throughout the presentations and concrete recommendations. Today's sessions has reminded us that policing is entering a period of profound transformation. Emerging technologies and artificial intelligence in particular are reshaping both the security environment and the tools available to law enforcement. Criminal networks are increasingly exploiting digital platforms, data automation, and new technologies to expand their reach and adapt their methods. At the same time, these same technologies can help police services become more effective, more responsive, and better equipped to protect communities. Our discussion today has therefore been both timely and necessary. It has highlighted the importance of building a shared understanding of the opportunities and risks associated with AI in policing. It has also underlined the need for practical cooperation among Member States, United Nations entities, policing contributing countries, technology partners, academia, and civil society. No single institution or country can address these challenges alone. The pace of technological change requires collective learning. Exchange of experience, and strong partnerships. This conversation is also part of a broader series of discussions taking place during NCOPS. It connects directly with other side events focused on the role of artificial intelligence, innovation, and emerging technologies in law enforcement, including the main plenary session and other AI-related side events that will follow throughout this week. Taken together, these discussions demonstrate a growing recognition that the future of policing must be addressed in a comprehensive and forward-looking manner. For the Strategic Police Advisory Group, this session is not the conclusion of the discussion, but rather an important step in a longer process. SPAG will continue to provide a platform for member states and partners to examine the theme of policing in the age of AI throughout the year. Our objective will be to move from awareness to practical dialogue, identifying operational needs, sharing good practices, exploring capacity-building opportunities, and ensuring that police services are not left behind as technology evolves. Allow me once again To thank our panelists, our participants, and all colleagues who contributed to the organization of this session. Your presence and engagement reflects the importance of this topic and the commitment of our community to shaping a policing future that is responsible, cooperative, and prepared for the challenges ahead. I look forward to continuing this important conversation with all of you in the months ahead. And thank you.

Thank you.

Hello, colleagues. Uh, the next session is starting shortly. Please have a seat.

Good morning, everyone, and welcome. My name is Fatma Al Ali from United Arab Emirates Ministry of Interior. We are glad to have you here for this event alongside UN COPS26. Today, peacekeeping missions matter a great deal and reach many countries around the world. They are the first line of defense in protecting civilians and bringing stability to some of the toughest places on Earth. At the heart of today's discussion are the peacekeepers themselves, the women and men whose success depends every day on the work they do in the field, often in very tough conditions. One of the most important tools for that success is communication. With that, I would like to welcome our distinguished guest joining us today, Colonel Dan Ahmed, the Director General of International Affairs Bureau from the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Interior, and His Excellency Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the USG for Peace Operations, Mr. Herbert Loret, the UN— the Head of UN Light Coordination Mechanism, and Inspector General Dhan Bahadur Karki, Chief of Nepal Police. And finally, Yusenbek Atalkov, the Head of International Cooperation Department from the Ministry of International Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Thank you all for being here to share your perspective on this important event. Colonel Dana, as the Director General of the International Affairs Bureau at the UAE, has been a driving force behind the UAE's international security partnerships, spearheading global initiatives with a visionary approach to strategic cooperation. I now give the floor to Her Excellency to share her opening remarks. Khalilah Dana, the floor is yours.

Thank you, Fatma. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, Dear friends, old and new, it's a pleasure for the United Arab Emirates to co-organize this side event with the Republic of Nepal and the Republic of Kazakhstan on the margins of UNCOP26, especially on a topic that is both timely and essential: the role of language and interculturality as force multipliers in peace operations. Excellencies, In line with the vision of His Royal Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the President of the United Arab Emirates, in supporting peace and stability worldwide, and the United Arab Emirates' continued commitment to strengthening the effectiveness of UN peace operations, we have turned our attention to one of the most persistent gaps in these operations: the language and cultural gaps. Language is far more than a means of communication. It is a tool of trust, protection, and operational effectiveness. The Secretary-General's Action for Peacekeeping initiative explicitly recognizes linguistic skills as a contributor to mission performance. In peacekeeping, speaking the host country's language helps improve coordination between contingents, strengthens dialogues while communicates, reduces cultural misunderstandings, and ultimately enhances the delivery of mandates on the ground. In line with this approach, the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Interior is pleased to launch an initiative for Arabic language and intercultural skills training for peacekeeping personnel, developed in cooperation with the UN-Light Coordination Mechanism. This is the first Arabic language course dedicated to peacekeepers preparing for deployment. The program is distinguished by its practical, field-oriented approach, combining language learning with a deep understanding of local dynamics. It consists of 5 modules totaling 90 hours, delivered by certified instructors, and it's designed for both military and police personnel. Since its launch, more than 40 personnel from Nepal and Kazakhstan have benefited, including 25% women. In conclusion, the United Arab Emirates believes that investing in language and culture is a direct investment in the effectiveness of peace operations itself. Under the guidance of our wise leadership, we remain committed to advancing the effort and strengthening international partnership in this field. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Colonel Dana, for these inspiring remarks. Ladies and gentlemen, it's our honor to welcome His Excellency Mr. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the USG for Peace Operations at the United Nations, who leads the UN efforts in navigating some of the most complex security environments around the world. Your Excellency, the floor is yours.

Thank you very much, Moderator. And Excellencies, distinguished guests, and dear colleagues. It's really an honour for me to address this esteemed audience on a matter which I myself have stressed for many years: the importance of language skills in ensuring that our peacekeepers can effectively implement the critical mandates from the Security Council. I thank our host, the United Arab Emirates, and its President, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for the steadfast support, including through the Arabic language training programme for UN peacekeepers. And of course, greetings to the co-hosts represented here, Nepal and the Republic of Kazakhstan. I also thank all of you for being part of this important event. At first glance, language may seem like a technical or secondary issue, something that can be addressed through interpreters, technological applications, or ad hoc solutions. However, experience across multiple missions has shown us that language is not merely a tool of communication. It is a strategic asset. It's a confidence-building instrument and ultimately a force multiplier in achieving peace. Now, don't get me wrong, of course I'm not against interpreters, I'm not against technological applications, I believe that they will have to be further developed, but at the same time nothing will replace direct communication in the language of the host country or the host communities. That is increasingly important as we are facing so many challenges today in our operational environment. Peacekeeping operations are built on trust— trust between peacekeepers and local communities, and trust between international actors and national stakeholders. Without the ability to communicate directly in local languages, our personnel often remain perceived as distant, foreign, and detached. And even the most well-intentioned intervention can be misunderstood misinterpreted, or even rejected if it's not conveyed in a way that resonates culturally and linguistically. When a peacekeeper greets a community leader in their language, listens to grievances without mediation, or explains the mandate clearly and respectfully, something powerful happens. Barriers dissolve, and suspicion gives way to dialogue, and dialogue opens the door to cooperation. Conversely, relying solely on translators can unintentionally introduce distance and distortion. Nuances can be lost, emotions diluted, and delays introduced at critical moments. In fragile environments, these gaps can have serious consequences, and miscommunication can escalate tensions rather than reduce them. Beyond trust, language proficiency directly informs operational effectiveness. Peacekeepers operate, as we all know, in complex environments where information is often informal, fluid, and conveyed through local networks. The ability to understand conversations, interpret local media, and engage directly with communities significantly strengthens situational awareness. If you consider patrols, for example, interacting with civilians in remote areas, when peacekeepers, soldiers, or police officers can understand local concerns firsthand, they are better positioned to detect early warning signs of conflict, identify protection risks, and respond swiftly. Moreover, language skills are critical in gathering peacekeeping intelligence in the broader sense of understanding the social fabric, local dynamics, grievances, power structures, and cultural sensitivities. In many locations, critical insights may not come from official briefings, but from official— informal, sorry, interactions. One of the core mandates of United Nations peacekeeping is the protection of civilians. Here, the role of language becomes even more pronounced. In situations of imminent threat, seconds matter. Instructions must be clear, warnings must be understood, and reassurances must be If peacekeepers cannot communicate directly with at-risk populations, their ability to provide effective protection is compromised. And language also plays a crucial role in preventing conflict. Many disputes arise from misunderstandings, rumors, or misinformation. Peacekeepers who can communicate directly are better equipped to dispel false narratives and media tensions before they escalate.

Escalate.

And furthermore, engagement with vulnerable populations— women, children, displaced persons— often requires culturally sensitive communication. And language is key to ensuring inclusivity and ensuring that no voice is excluded. Effective peacekeeping depends on strong partnerships with host governments, local authorities, and civil society. While official interaction may be conducted in international language, real collaboration often happens locally within communities, in municipalities, at the grassroots levels. So with all of this, it goes without saying that language proficiency signals respect. It demonstrates a willingness to engage on equal terms and to invest in understanding the host society. This in turn will foster ownership and sustainability of peace efforts. It also reduces dependency on intermediaries, allowing for more direct, transparent, and efficient coordination with local partners. Moreover, as we also know and understand well, language is inseparable from culture. To speak a language is to gain insight into how people think, how they perceive the world, and how they interpret events. In environments where tensions are high and trust is fragile, then even small gestures of respect can have a profound impact. Across various missions, there is consistent evidence that language capabilities enhance mission outcomes. Where we have invested in language training, whether through pre-deployment preparation, support to the light coordination mechanism, or in-mission initiatives, we see tangible benefits: improved information slow, stronger community engagement, and more effective patrol activities. At the same time, overreliance on interpreters remains a constraint. And then again, you know, we need them, we'll continue to need them, but while interpreters and even our critically important community liaison assistants are obviously essential, they cannot fully substitute for direct communication, particularly in sensitive or rapidly evolving situations. So if we accept that language is a strategic enabler, then the question becomes, how do we integrate this understanding into our planning and operations? Equally, if we recognize language as an operational enabler, then we must treat it as such. This means moving beyond one-off approaches and integrating language considerations into how we plan, generate, and deploy capabilities, responsibilities. The UAE's Ministry of Interior's partnership with the UN-led coordination mechanism should provide us with critical lessons in how we, the United Nations, with you, the Member States, can forward this approach. So, Excellencies, distinguished participants, at its core, peacekeeping is about people. It's about understanding their concerns, their fears, their aspirations, and their realities. Is a bridge that connects us to those who serve. By investing in local language proficiency, we do more than improve communication. We enhance trust, strengthen protection, and increase the effectiveness of our missions. In a world where conflicts are increasingly complex and deeply rooted in local context, we cannot afford to overlook such a fundamental element, and that is why I believe that this event is timely, warranted, and much appreciated. So thank you for your kind attention.

Thank you, Your Excellency, for your inspiring remarks. Mr. Lauret, from your distinct position leading the LCM, you directly oversee the alignment of training resources with evolving field requirements. So from this operational standpoint, to what extent does bridging communication gaps in Arabic-speaking environments serve as a critical benchmark for the overall readiness for modern peacekeeping.

Thank you very much, Madam Moderator. Excellencies, Her Excellencies Dana Al Humaid, Director General of the International Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Interior of the United Arab Emirates, Under-Secretary-General Lacroix, Inspector General Dan Bahacourt, Thank you, Mr.

Kharki.

Deputy Minister Sarsenov and distinguished Chief of Police, member states representative, colleagues and friends, allow me first to begin by expressing my sincere appreciation to the Ministry of Interior and the Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates for convening this important discussion and for their continued leadership in advancing practical capacity-building initiative for UN peacekeepers. The UAE has been an invaluable partner of the Light Coordination Mechanism, LCM, and I'm particularly grateful for the excellent cooperation we have developed over the past year in support of Arabic language training for peacekeepers. Our partnership demonstrates how member states can work together to address critical capability gaps and strengthen mission readiness. Language is often viewed as a secondary capability, and I checked this morning with my colleague, and during the Peacekeeping Ministerial last year in Berlin in 2025, there was no pledge made on language support. And we also run the LCM online system, which is a platform when Member States can share offers of training requests, and aside of the partnership with the UAE, no support is offered concretely by other Member States on this platform. Language is viewed as a secondary capability, and in reality, it is a core operational capability. It enables peacekeepers to gather information directly from communities rather than through intermediaries. It helps them to understand concerns, identify risks, and build relationships. It contributes to situational awareness, conflict prevention, the protection of civilians, and mission credibility. It allows peacekeepers to explain their mandate, de-escalate tensions, foster truth with local populations. In short, language is force multiplier. It is something that we hear consistently from troop and police contributing countries, peacekeeping training centers, and regional peacekeeping networks. For example, language training emerged as a recurring priority during the Latin American and Caribbean Conference on United Nations Peace Operations, LACUN, held in Paraguay in October 2025. As well as during our recent exchange among the members of the ASEAN Peacekeeping Training Centre Network and the LCM, who supported the Philippines earlier this year. Across very different regions, Member States deliver the same message: language capabilities are no longer optional, they are essential for operational effectiveness. Recognizing this need, the LCM has sought to facilitate practical partnerships that respond directly to these capability gaps. Building on the success of the Arabic Language Training Initiative that we have developed together with the United Arab Emirates, we are also looking at expanding with new member states who have already reached out to the LCM. For 2025, 2026, and 2027. The objective is not for every peacekeeper to become fluent in Arabic. Rather, it is to provide selected personnel with the communication skill and cultural awareness needed to engage effectively with communities, local authorities, and mission counterparts. I would like to commend the UAE not only for supporting this initiative, but also for its willingness to share the lessons learned. Today's event is itself an important contribution to capacity building. By creating a platform for dialogue, the UAE is sharing its successful partnership with Nepal and Kazakhstan, and we hope that this will also inform future initiatives elsewhere. This exchange of experience is central to the work of the LCM. Beyond facilitating partnership, we seek to connect Member States through regional meetings, analytical studies, digital platforms, and the LCM Dialogue Series, so that successful initiatives can be replicated rather than reinvented. Our analytical works reinforce this practical experience. Last year, with financial support from Germany, the LCM commissioned a study entitled Crossing Language Barriers in Peace Operations: Lessons from Latin America and the Caribbean. It was presented in Paraguay last year. The study confirmed that many practitioners have long observed limited language proficiency reduce operational effectiveness, restrict engagement with local populations, But one particularly compelling example came from Haiti, where members of the Multinational Security Support Mission who had received French and Creole training, including through the LexicoPay and LexicoZ tool developed by the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie and France, were reportedly able to engage more effectively with local communities and help prevent potentially volatile situations from escalating. The study also recommends greater investment in mission-focused language preparation, stronger integration of cultural awareness into pre-deployment training, and wider use of innovative learning technology. Technology can help us scale these efforts. Artificial intelligence, mobile applications, virtual reality, and distance learning platforms can make language training significantly more accessible and cost-effective. Indeed, the LCM is already exploring how this technology can strengthen peacekeeping partnerships and operational readiness. Beyond language partnerships, we are also working to make operational tools more accessible. For example, the United Nations body first aid app, which provides life-saving first aid guidance for peacekeepers, has recently been translated into Arabic through a partnership with Morocco, enabling more peacekeepers to access critical medical guidance in their own language. While today's discussion focuses on Arabic. The broader lessons apply equally to French and English. For that reason, the LCM is also working with the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie and France on French-language initiatives supporting personnel from Vietnam and Indonesia preparing for peacekeeping deployment. To conclude, the partnership between the UAE, Nepal, and Kazakhstan and the LCM demonstrates how Member States can work together to develop practical solutions to address real operational needs. The Light Coordination Mechanisms remain fully committed to working with Member States to expand these partnerships and ensure that more peacekeepers deployed with the linguistic and cultural capability needed to succeed in today's increasingly complex operational environment. Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Herbert. And having explored how Arabic language proficiency underpins operational readiness, I'd now like to turn to Inspector General Dan Bahadur Karki, Chief of Nepal Police, to look at this from a more applied, ground-level perspective. So on the tangible impact of this initiative, how do you evaluate the direct benefits of the Arabic Language Initiative for Nepalese peacekeepers, and what are your aspirations for the future sustainability and expansion of this training framework?

Well, thank you, Moderator, Excellencies, United Nations Under-Secretary-General, Mr. Secretary-General, distinguished delegates, ladies and gentlemen, it is an honor for Nepal to co-host the important side event at UN COPS 2026 alongside our esteemed partner from the United Arab Emirates. I'd like to express my sincere appreciation to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Al-Nabaa. President of the United Arab Emirates, for his vision, generosity, and the commitment in supporting the basic Arabic language training program for Nepalese peacekeepers through the UN Light Coordination Mechanism, LCM. This initiative reflects the spirit of partnership, innovation, and shared responsibility that lies at the heart of United Nations peace operations. The program was conducted at the National Police Academy of Nepal Police during 16 June to 7 August 2025. Altogether, 40 police officers from Nepal Police and Armed Police Force Nepal have participated in the training The program was enhanced— has enhanced the linguistic skills to serve better in multinational and multilingual environments. Building the success of this inaugural program, I am pleased to share that another edition of the Basic Arabic Language Training Program is already in the pipeline and is expected expected to be launched in the near future. This reflects our shared commitment, together with the United Arab Emirates, to developing a larger pool of language-qualified peacekeepers capable of serving effectively in Arabic-speaking mission environments. As one of the leading contributors of the uniformed personnel to United Nations peace operations, Nepal has long recognized that successful peacekeeping depends not only on the professional competence, but also on the ability to connect with the communities we serve. Excellencies, language is a force multiplier. The ability to communicate in the language of local communities helps peacekeepers build trust, gather information, resolve misunderstanding, support vulnerable populations, and strengthen community-oriented policing. It enables more meaningful engagement with local authorities and contributes directly to mandate implementation. In many mission environments where Arabic is widely spoken. Such skills can significantly enhance operational effectiveness and foster stronger relationships between peacekeepers and the people they are mandated to protect. The UAE-Nepal initiative demonstrates that relatively modest investment in language and cultural training can yield substantial operational benefits. It is a practical example of how targeted capacity building can strengthen the readiness and performance of peacekeepers before deployment. These initiatives will realize its full value only when these newly acquired language skills are effectively utilized in the field. In this regard, I'd respectfully encourage the Secretariat to give due considerations, where operationally feasible and in accordance with mission requirements, to the deployment of Arabic-language qualified individual police officers, IPOs, to Arabic-speaking peacekeeping missions. Such deployment would enable the Organization to fully leverage these enhanced capabilities while also allowing the practical effectiveness of this training initiative to be demonstrated and further refined through operational experience. I believe this experience offers important lessons for all of us. As peace operations become increasingly complex, we should continue to invest in innovative training partnerships, that equip our personnel with the linguistic and cultural competencies needed to serve effectively in diverse mission settings. At the same time, training initiatives should be complemented by deployment policies that recognize and utilize specialized competencies. Matching language-qualified peacekeepers with missions where those skills are most relevant would not only maximize the return on training investment, but also contribute to more effective mandate implementation and stronger engagement with host communities. In closing, Excellencies, I once again extend my sincere gratitude to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nayyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, for his generosity, partnership, and valuable support. We look forward to further strengthening our cooperation in advancing and effectiveness of UN peace operations. Let us continue working together to ensure that our peacekeepers are not only well trained and well equipped, but also well prepared. prepared to communicate, understand, and connect with the communities they serve. Thank you.

Thank you, Inspector General. As the initiative has expanded to include Kazakhstan following its success in Nepal, I am turning now to Mr. Atalikov to highlight the strategic value and direct impact of the Arabic Language Initiative.

Thank you.

Distinguished participants, dear colleagues, first of all, we would like to express our sincere appreciation to the United Arab Emirates, Nepal, and the UN for organizing this side event. We firmly believe that language training is an essential component of strengthening trust, fostering mutual understanding, and ensuring the successful implementation of United Nations mandates. Today's peacekeeping operations require police officers to possess a high level of professional competency, the ability to work effectively in multinational environments, respect for cultural diversity, and the skills to build constructive dialogue with local communities. Proficiency in foreign languages It enables peacekeepers to establish trust-based communication, better understand the needs of host communities, and ultimately contribute to the more effective implementation of peacekeeping mandates. In this regard, we study— the study of the Arabic language deserves particular attention. Some of United Nations peacekeeping operations operations are conducted in Arabic-speaking countries. Knowledge of Arabic not only facilitates professional interaction with national authorities and local communities, but also demonstrates respect for the language, culture and traditions of host countries. Such an approach helps build trust, which remains one of the key aspects for successful peacekeeping. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan consistently places great emphasis on developing the language skills of personnel preparing for deployment to United Nations peacekeeping missions. We highly value the constructive cooperation established with the Ministry of Interior of the United Arab Emirates in this sphere. In particular, would like to highlight the successful implementation of the Arabic language courses conducted from January to March this year at the Academy of Management of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan with the support of our partners from the United Nations Department of Peace Operations and United Arab Emirates Police Academy. These language courses were attended by 15 representatives of Kazakhstan security agencies, including our ministry, Ministry of Internal Affairs, and Ministry of Defense. This initiative has become a vivid example of effective international cooperation in capacity building and has made a meaningful contribution to strengthening the language competency of Kazakhstani personnel. We are sincerely grateful to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, our Emirati partners, and to the United Nations for their valuable support and willingness to share their expertise and experience. We view such initiatives as an important contribution to strengthening the peacekeeping capacities of the United Nations member states. Kazakhstan remains committed to a further developing partnership with UN Member States in the interest of promoting international peace and security. In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that language is far more than a means of communication. It is a powerful instrument of trust, respect, and mutual understanding. That is why investment in language training is, in a sense, an investment in the effectiveness of peacekeeping and the sustainability of peace. Thank you for your attention.

Thank you, Mr. Atalikov. And now, Colonel Dana, having heard today the perspective from United Nations and testimonies from Nepal and Kazakhstan, we return to you to hear your vision on the future strategic direction of UAE's MOI in this field. As we know that the UAE always has this foresight vision to improve, empower, and enhance the societal safety. So from your perspective as a Director General, how do you see the Ministry of Interior shaping the next chapter of international policing?

Thank you very much for the kind words from our colleagues and partners whom we've worked very closely in 2025 and 2026. We are, as the United Arab Emirates, a peacebuilding nation and leadership. We have 200 nationalities living on the land of the United Arab Emirates, so it goes without saying that we've mastered the art of coexisting and the art of communication. What we see as the United Arab Emirates in the form of the Ministry of Interior is continuous support to this program and commitment from where I stand here today to further expand this to other countries and other missions that serve in Arabic-speaking conflict zones and post-conflict zones. I also know from our brief conversation yesterday with His Excellency, that we are also looking to further expand and find opportunities in which we can help support any program that peacekeeping missions have on the ground to enhance the communication with host countries, to better the understanding of culture, and also to equip missions on the ground with necessary skills to keep them safe and to support them in their delivery. So what I see, in summary, is continuous support, identification of new opportunities, working closely with our colleagues at the UN, and hopefully, inshallah, coming back next year or the year after with bigger programs, more countries, and expansion of the number of officers that we support on the ground.

Thank you, Colonel Dana. Distinguished guests, as we close this session, we extend our thanks to our distinguished speakers for their valuable contributions and to our distinguished guests for their active participation and engagement in this event. We hope this gathering serves as a launching point for further cooperation and expansion of this important initiative in service of peacekeepers' safety and mission effectiveness worldwide. Thank you for joining us, and we wish you a pleasant day.

Thank you.