New INTERPOL Secretary General Begins Work As General Assembly Closes

The 92nd INTERPOL General Assembly has closed with delegates endorsing a range of actions to strengthen the Organization’s capabilities and operational support under the leadership of the new Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza.

In a special address to the General Assembly, on behalf of His Majesty The King, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh offered heartfelt thanks for the hard work and dedication of police around the world.

In the face of the increasing threat posed by organized crime, a series of resolutions aimed at enhancing a coordinated global law enforcement response were approved.

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The need for greater information sharing to better inform the evolving terrorism threat intelligence picture and the links to organized crime and its polycriminality was underlined by delegates.

A series of interactive and multi-regional panels addressed key areas including:

• the profound impact of technological advances on policing and how law enforcement can navigate the rapidly evolving AI landscape to enhance capabilities while addressing the challenges it presents.
• the benefits of community-focused policing in successfully combating criminality and highlighting crime types that adversely affect women and girls around the globe.
• the national strategic objectives that shape the sharing of biometric data between countries, as well as the key legal, financial and operational challenges.
• the risk of fragmentation and the need for a comprehensive and multilateral response to the current and future threats to ensure human security and sustainable development.

Recognizing the crucial importance of inter-agency work at the national and international levels, delegates also supported the signing of a cooperation agreement with the World Health Organization.

The agreement will support a concrete collaboration between law enforcement and public health around the world, in order to effectively address health threats to human populations, from tackling counterfeit and illicit medical products, to the prevention of and response to biological incidents.

Delegates also elected nine new members to the Executive Committee who will each serve a three-year term (2024 – 2027):

• Mohammed Dkhissi, Morocco – Vice President for Africa
• Mary D. Rodriguez, United States of America – Vice President for the Americas
• Liam Price, Canada – Delegate for the Americas
• Luis Alejandro Rolle, Argentina – Delegate for the Americas
• Ali Mohammed Al Ali, Qatar – Delegate for Asia
• Yong Wang, China – Delegate for Asia
• Thorsten Kunst, Germany – Delegate for Europe
• Lucas Philippe, France – Delegate for Europe
• Mustafa Serkan Sabanca, Türkiye – Delegate for Europe

The Executive Committee, which meets three times a year, has 13 members in total, comprising the President, three vice presidents, and nine delegates representing the Organization’s four regions – Africa, Americas, Asia, and Europe.

The 92nd session of the General Assembly met from 4 – 7 November in Glasgow, United Kingdom, and was attended by some 1,000 participants, including 65 Chiefs of Police, from 179 countries.

The next session of the General Assembly will take place in Marrakesh, Morocco in 2025.

Delegates also voted for future General Assembly sessions to be held in Hong Kong, China (2026), Doha, Qatar (2027) and Seoul, Republic of Korea (2029).