Abdullah bin Sultan bin Awad Al Nuaimi, Minister of Justice and Chairman of the National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking (NCCHT), today inaugurated the ninth edition of the ‘’Diploma Programme for Specialists of Combating Human Trafficking”.
The programme was organised by the NCCHT and the Dubai Police, in collaboration with the Dubai Judicial Institute and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
The ceremony was held online and attended by various officials, including Eng. Abdulrahman Mohammed Al Hamadi from the Ministry of Justice, Major General Dr. Abdul Qaddus Abdul Razzaq Al Obaidli from the Dubai Police, Judge Hatem Ali, Regional Director of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GGC), Office of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and Dr. Sultan Al Jamal from the “Human Trafficking Monitoring Centre.”
“We are happy to see that the programme has grown to almost 500 participants since it started, and 146 participants from friendly countries and international organisations have joined this year’s edition,” he said.
“Human trafficking is a very serious transnational crime that keeps changing its criminal patterns. That is why it is important to train relevant authorities and introduce them to the best international practices to help fight this crime and protect innocent people from its dangers. The programme aims to prepare specialist staff in combatting human trafficking,” he added.
In his speech, Ali said, “On behalf of the UNODC and the Secretariat of the United Nations (UN) Conventions against Transitional Organised Crime and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, I am honoured to share the greetings and gratitude of Dr. Ghada Waly, Executive Director of UNODC. She appreciates our valuable partnership with the UAE over the past decade to develop national systems and regional capacities to face this challenge that threatens our region, where some people exploit and abuse others for illegal profit.”
He then highlighted the role of the NCCHT and the Dubai Police, in collaboration with the Dubai Judicial Institute, in establishing the first specialist diploma programme that has adopted UN methodologies and strategies in addressing human trafficking, adding that participants from Mexico are engaged in the programme.
Major General Al Obaidli said that the programme, supported by the UNODC, is the first of its kind in the Arab region and aims to train a select group of experts from various departments and institutions to effectively and professionally deal with all aspects of combatting human trafficking.
This year, 146 students joined the diploma programme from 47 different entities. The majority, numbering 109, are from UAE, while the other 37 are from abroad, including Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Comoros, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Iraq and Mexico.