Abu Dhabi: Counsellor Dr. Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, Attorney-General of the UAE, participated today in two High-Level Segment Thematic Meetings at the 15th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice - Abu Dhabi 2026, highlighting the UAE’s approach to advancing access to justice and strengthening international cooperation against organised fraud.

The meetings were entitled “Advancing Access to Justice for Effective and Fair Criminal Justice Systems: Global Advances and National Action” and “Beyond the Summit: Leading the Charge Against Organised Fraud”.

During the first meeting, Al Shamsi highlighted the importance of placing people at the centre of justice systems, stressing that access to justice goes beyond recognising rights in law to ensuring that individuals can understand and exercise those rights through clear, fair and accessible procedures.

“People remain the true measure of the success of any justice system,” he said, noting that the UAE’s digital transformation of justice services focuses on simplifying and re-engineering procedures, reducing bureaucracy and improving access while preserving legal safeguards.

On artificial intelligence, Al Shamsi said technology could support analysis, accelerate access to information and improve efficiency, but stressed that “AI cannot replace legal judgement or human responsibility for decisions."

He also emphasised that justice services should accommodate differing needs and circumstances, including language, age, disability and the circumstances of victims, to ensure effective and equitable access to justice.

During the second meeting, Al Shamsi outlined the UAE’s approach to combating organised fraud through stronger national coordination and cross-border judicial cooperation.

He highlighted the importance of effective reporting channels, timely information-sharing among competent authorities and the use of advanced technologies and AI to identify fraud patterns and accelerate detection and response.

Internationally, he called for direct and secure communication between counterpart authorities, greater use of existing international networks, and effective mutual legal assistance, extradition, and joint investigation mechanisms to enable the swift tracing of funds and necessary precautionary measures.

“In organised fraud cases, the difference between recovering a victim’s money and losing it may lie in how quickly information is transmitted and translated into action,” Al Shamsi said.

He stressed that such cooperation must operate within national legislation and relevant international agreements, while respecting legal safeguards and protecting exchanged information.

Al Shamsi’s participation reflected the UAE’s broader approach to criminal justice, combining people-centred access to effective and fair justice with stronger institutional and international cooperation to address increasingly sophisticated and transnational crime.

The UAE Public Prosecution continues to participate in specialised sessions and events throughout the Congress, contributing to the exchange of expertise and international dialogue on the future of criminal justice and the rule of law.