UAE donates $54m to Interpol

Funds to go toward projects to combat counter-terrorism, cybercrime and drugs projects

The United Arab Emirates announced Monday it has donated 54 million dollars to the Interpol Foundation, as the country prepares to host a joint forum on global security.

The funds will go towards seven Interpol projects including counter-terrorism, cybercrime and drugs, an official statement said.

"The threats posed by terrorism, organised crime and cybercrime are more complex and global than ever, requiring Interpol to play an even stronger role in international police cooperation," said Interpol secretary general Jurgen Stock.

"The generosity of the UAE's contribution will have a significant impact on strengthening the work of law enforcement worldwide," Stock said in a statement.



The news came on the eve of a three-day Unity for Security forum in Abu Dhabi.

The conference is the first such venture organised jointly by the UAE and the intergovernmental police organisation Interpol.

The UAE last May announced it had signed an agreement with the Interpol Foundation for Abu Dhabi to host the group's World Bureau headquarters.

The Interpol Foundation for a Safer World, founded in 2013 and registered in Geneva, is tasked with supporting the work of Interpol while remaining "legally and administratively independent", according to its website.

The foundation, which last year received close to $11 million in donations, has pledged a $54-million contribution to Interpol between 2016 and 2020.

Oil-rich UAE is a key regional ally in the US-led coalition's fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

The Gulf state in 2014 introduced sweeping counterterrorism legislation enabling courts to hand down the death penalty in cases linked to extremist groups.

The country blacklists 83 organisations as terrorist, including al Qaeda, the Islamic State and Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood.