The United Arab Emirates strengthened criminal justice capacities to investigate and prosecute CBRN crimes through a comprehensive training programme organized within the framework of the European Union CBRN Risk Mitigation Centres of Excellence Initiative.
As Gulf countries continue to face evolving security and non-proliferation challenges, strengthening criminal justice responses to Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) incidents has become increasingly important. The United Arab Emirates (UAE), in partnership with leading international organizations and regional stakeholders, has successfully completed a comprehensive capacity-building and training programme aimed at strengthening national capabilities to investigate, prosecute, and adjudicate Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) crimes. The initiative represents a major milestone in enhancing criminal justice preparedness and advancing regional cooperation in addressing increasingly complex CBRN-related threats.
The programme was co-funded by the European Union and the UAE and implemented by the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) under the patronage of the UAE Attorney General. Throughout its implementation, the programme also benefited from the continued support of the European Commission Foreign Policy Instruments Service.
The UAE programme marked the first full delivery of the CBRN Investigation, Prosecution, and Adjudication (IPA) training package in Arabic for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region. It also represented the third successful implementation of the CBRN IPA programme, building on earlier pilot projects conducted in Moldova and Ukraine.
A Global Initiative Supporting Regional Security
The programme was implemented within the framework of the European Union CBRN Risk Mitigation Centres of Excellence (CoE) Initiative, a EU-funded global platform established in 2010 to strengthen international and regional cooperation against CBRN risks.
Recognizing the importance of regional collaboration, the UAE invited representatives from Qatar, Oman, and Kuwait to participate in the first four training courses. At a time of evolving security challenges across the Gulf region, the programme highlighted the critical need for international coordination, operational cooperation, and harmonized legal frameworks to effectively address CBRN threats.
Experts emphasized that effective investigation and prosecution of CBRN-related criminal cases depend on comprehensive international legal frameworks supported by robust national legislation, regulations, and enforcement mechanisms.
The programme also benefited from the contributions and support by several international organizations, including the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the Biological Weapons Convention Implementation Support Unit (BWC ISU), the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), UNICRI, the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), the International Association of Prosecutors (IAP), and VERTIC.
Comprehensive Five-Course Training Package
The intensive training package was delivered over a six-month period, beginning in November 2025 and concluding in May 2026. Five specialized courses were successfully conducted:
Tabletop Exercise – Abu Dhabi, 25–26 November 2025
CBRN Criminalisation Workshop – Abu Dhabi, 27–28 November 2025
Building a Case for Prosecution – Abu Dhabi, 26–30 January 2026
Mock Trial – Abu Dhabi, 21–24 April 2026
Train-the-Trainer Course – Turin, Italy, 11–13 May 2026
The first four courses were hosted by the UAE Attorney General Office and the Federal Supreme Court in Abu Dhabi, while the concluding Train-the-Trainer (TTT) course took place at UNICRI headquarters in Turin, Italy.
One of the programme’s major strengths was its ability to deliver a comprehensive and practice-oriented CBRN criminal justice training package within a relatively short timeframe. The training package comprehensively covered every phase of a criminal case — from crime scene investigation to courtroom proceedings, and ultimately from courtroom to classroom through the development of sustainable national training capacities.
Building Sustainable National Expertise
The concluding Train-the-Trainer course represented a major step toward ensuring the programme’s long-term sustainability within the UAE. Participants were carefully selected based on their expertise, institutional representation, and commitment to developing and delivering future national training courses building on the programme.
As a direct outcome, twelve concept notes for future national training courses were developed and are expected to be integrated into the curricula of relevant national institutions.
Twenty-one trainers and instructors from a broad range of UAE institutions participated in the TTT course. Participants included prosecutors from Dubai, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi; judges from the Federal Judiciary Department and Sharjah Judiciary Department; nuclear security engineers and legal officers from the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation; representatives from the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security; experts from the National Ambulance and Civil Defense Authority; police officers from Dubai, Ras Al Khaimah, and Abu Dhabi Police; officials from the National Office for Weapons and Hazardous Materials; a Hazmat expert from the Civil Defense Academy; and a representative from the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment.
The Train-the-Trainer programme combined theoretical instruction with practical exercises, equipping participants with essential skills in course planning, instructional delivery, and learning methodologies. At the conclusion, participants presented draft national training courses and received feedback supporting future implementation at the national level.
Expanding Regional Cooperation
During the concluding activities in Turin, a courtesy meeting took place between the Acting Director of UNICRI, Mr. Leif Villadsen, and H.E. Counselor Salem Ali Al Zaabi, Chief Prosecutor and Head of the Support Services Sector at the UAE Office of the Attorney General.
Discussions focused on the UAE’s ambition to become a regional training hub for CBRN criminal justice capacity building in partnership with UNICRI. Future plans include the delivery of Arabic-language training courses for countries across the GCC, Middle East, and North Africa regions.
National training institutions and governmental agencies are expected to integrate the twelve newly developed training courses into their official curricula. In addition, four judicial institutions — the Federal, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah judicial authorities — are preparing to incorporate these courses into their future professional training programmes.
The parties also explored the possibility of establishing a Memorandum of Understanding between UNICRI and UAE governmental authorities to further expand cooperation in broader areas related to combating crime and promoting justice.
A Model for Future CBRN Criminal Justice Training
The UAE implementation further demonstrated the adaptability and effectiveness of the CBRN IPA capacity-building programme. One of its key strengths lies in bringing together judges, prosecutors, investigators, law enforcement personnel, and criminal justice authorities who rarely train collectively despite their interconnected responsibilities in responding to CBRN incidents.
By combining theoretical instruction with realistic exercises and simulations, the programme enabled participants not only to understand complex legal and operational concepts, but also to apply them in real-world scenarios.
To date, the complete training package has been successfully delivered in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Ukraine, and the United Arab Emirates.
Looking ahead, organizers announced plans to further strengthen the programme through the addition of a sixth training course focused on CBRN forensics and crime scene management, further enhancing its operational and investigative dimensions.
The successful completion of the UAE CBRN IPA programme represents an important achievement for national, regional, and international efforts to strengthen criminal justice responses to CBRN threats. More broadly, it stands as a strong example of how international cooperation, legal harmonization, and sustained capacity building can contribute to global security, resilience, and justice.
To know more: EU Global Threats Programme – EU CBRN Centres of Excellence Initiative
