Valdecy Urquiza

🇫🇷 J’ai eu le plaisir d’accueillir Étienne Guyot, Préfet de la région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, au siège d'INTERPOL, aux côtés du président de l'Organisation, Lucas Philippe.

Cette rencontre a été l’occasion d’échanger sur le projet d'agrandissement d'@INTERPOL_HQ, une initiative qui marque une étape importante dans le partenariat entre l'Organisation et notre pays hôte, la France.

-------

I was pleased to welcome Étienne Guyot, Prefect of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, to our headquarters, together with INTERPOL President Lucas Philippe.

The meeting was an opportunity to discuss the future extension of @INTERPOL_HQ, a project that marks another important step in the partnership between the Organization and our host country, France.

🇦🇹 With Austria’s strong legacy within INTERPOL - where it was founded in 1923 - it was a pleasure to welcome Dr Franz Ruf, Director General for Public Security.

Accompanied by Andreas Holzer, Director of Criminal Intelligence Service Austria and Head of NCB Vienna, our discussions focused on shared security priorities, including the opportunities and challenges presented by AI, particularly in the fight against transnational organized crime.

Austria’s position in Central Europe and at the end of the Balkan Route creates security challenges that call for international approaches to law enforcement.

As criminal threats continue to evolve across borders, effective partnerships such as these remain essential to ensuring police can work together effectively to keep communities safe.

The terrorist threat facing Africa is evolving rapidly, including increased links with transnational organized crime in areas such as illicit gold mining and arms trafficking.

At the same time, we are seeing greater convergence with cybercrime, as crypto-based fraud schemes, AI-enabled online scams and money-laundering networks are increasingly being used to finance terrorist activities.

Addressing the @_AfricanUnion (AU) Peace and Security Council, I highlighted how stronger international cooperation, intelligence sharing and operational coordination are essential to helping law enforcement stay ahead of these interconnected threats.

A key part of that effort is the work of INTERPOL's Special Representative to the African Union Office, which helps strengthen collaboration between African and global law enforcement partners.

Building on this commitment to partnership and capacity-building, I was also pleased to see the Ethiopian Police University join the INTERPOL Global Academy Network, a step that will further strengthen professional development and police cooperation across the region.

My thanks to the Ethiopian Federal Police Commissioner General, Demelash Gebremichael Weldeyes, the Chairperson of the AU Commission, H.E. @ymahmoudali and the Chair of the AU Peace and Security Council, Ambassador Churchill Ewumbue-Monono for the productive discussions, and to colleagues in NCB Addis Ababa for the warm welcome.

Preparations are well underway for our upcoming General Assembly in Hong Kong, China, where senior law enforcement leaders from around the world will come together to strengthen international cooperation and address the evolving threats shaping our global security landscape.

Productive discussions with Commissioner of @hkpoliceforce Chow Yat-ming, Joe and with Secretary for Security Tang Ping-keung provided valuable opportunities to discuss arrangements for this important gathering.

As we move closer to the General Assembly, our focus remains on bringing together police leaders from across the globe to foster collaboration, strengthen partnerships and advance our collective response to today’s most pressing criminal challenges.

INTERPOL knows the value of strong partnerships and collective response. This year’s Global Security Forum in Doha was focused on alliances - a theme that could not be more timely.

The threats that surround us in cybercrime, fraud, narcotics and more, are most dangerous when they can easily exploit weaknesses in global systems. Bringing stability to this environment is not an easy task, but it is much more difficult when we attempt to do it alone.

This important event, held under the auspices of H.E. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, provided an opportunity to reaffirm our partnerships and our shared commitment to global security.

Qatar has long been a key partner in the global fight against crime, particularly through Project Stadia, a pioneer in the field of security of major events.

Events like this one give us the chance to strengthen those bonds in person. I’m confident that discussions with H.E. Abdullah bin Khalaf bin Hattab Al Kaabi, Undersecretary of the @MOI_Qatar, will further strengthen cooperation between INTERPOL and Qatar.

I was also pleased to spend time with our Executive Committee Delegate for Asia, @AMohammedAlAli. Together, we attended Milipol, which consistently showcases the latest technologies dedicated to helping shape a modern law enforcement response.