JEDDAH, 13th October, 2025 (WAM) -- The United Arab Emirates, represented by The National Anti-Money Laundering and Combatting the Financing of Terrorism and Proliferation Financing Committee (NAMLCFTPFC), participated in the first General Meeting of the Middle East and North Africa Asset Recovery Inter-Agency Network (MENA ARIN), held in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on 8–9 October 2025.
The UAE delegation was headed by Hamid AlZaabi, Secretary General and Vice Chair of the NAMLCFTCPFC, and included representatives from Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Interior, and Public Prosecutions in the UAE.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the United Arab Emirates delivered a statement announcing its priorities for its presidency of MENA ARIN for 2026.
The high-level meeting was convened at the invitation of the Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority (Nazaha), in cooperation with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). It marked the official launch of the network, bringing together ministers and senior officials from across the region.
During the meeting, participants adopted both the Declaration of Intent and the Network Charter to frame cross-border cooperation in tracing, freezing, and confiscating illicit assets.
Hamid Al Zaabi expressed the UAE’s appreciation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for hosting the permanent secretariat of the network, and looked forward to building on the success of its presidency in 2025.
He affirmed the UAE’s commitment, during its presidency of the network in 2026, to advancing coordination mechanisms, unifying procedures, and enhancing the exchange of best practices with peer regional networks. He further noted that the Minister’s priorities in the upcoming phase will focus on supporting regional law enforcement mechanisms and directing government efforts toward tracing, freezing, or confiscating illicit assets, through advanced coordination tools and effective international cooperation.
In his remarks, Hamid Al Zaabi reaffirmed the UAE’s steadfast commitment to strengthening regional and international cooperation on asset recovery, noting that countering illicit financial flows requires speed and effectiveness in tracing criminal proceeds.
He stated, “As Vice President of the Middle East and North Africa Financial Action Task Force (MENAFATF), I emphasised the importance of embedding asset recovery within the broader framework of combating money laundering and terrorist financing across the region. MENA ARIN will serve as a practical tool for information exchange among practitioners, accelerate mutual legal assistance, and reinforce the region’s collective contribution to global asset recovery efforts. The UAE’s participation in Jeddah reflects our wider strategy of advancing regional leadership, expanding bilateral and multilateral cooperation, and ensuring full alignment with Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards.”
The UAE continues to achieve tangible progress in this field. In 2024, it confiscated AED5.2 billion—more than double the amount seized in 2023—placing the country among the world’s top three jurisdictions in terms of confiscations as a percentage of estimated financial crime. This achievement reflects the effectiveness of legislative and regulatory reforms implemented since 2021 in areas such as financial investigations, beneficial ownership transparency, and international cooperation.
The UAE is also working to establish a dedicated office for the management of confiscated assets, ensuring their use for social purposes. In addition, it has nominated five liaison officers from national entities to serve as coordinators with the network.
The meeting concluded with the official launch of the MENA-ARIN network and the adoption of a future action plan that includes holding targeted workshops on virtual assets and management of confiscated asset.
The UAE affirmed its full commitment and readiness to contribute effectively to the network's development, share its expertise, and enhance cooperation with partners to ensure the recovery and return of illicit assets to benefit the people of the region and globally.