15th UN Crime Congress opens in Abu Dhabi and adopts the Abu Dhabi Declaration

26 September 2026

The 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice opened in Abu Dhabi on 26 September 2026. Countries adopted the Abu Dhabi Declaration by acclamation at the opening. The Declaration addresses cybercrime, fraud and emerging trends described as "crime as a service" and "violence as a service". It commits countries to digitalize justice systems and use artificial intelligence with safeguards such as human oversight, transparency, due process and data protection. Hosted by the United Arab Emirates, the Congress runs through 1 October under the theme Protecting People and Planet in the Digital Age. UNODC, headed by Executive Director Monica Juma, is the Congress secretariat; the previous Congress was held in Kyoto, Japan.