UAE maintains its status as one of the world's most secure nations
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) continues to stand out as one of the most effective nations in the fight against terrorist and extremist activities, according to the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) compiled by the Institute for Business Economics and Peace. This index, widely recognised as a reliable benchmark, is used by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC) for its ranking.
The UAE's success in maintaining a low-risk status for terrorist activities is attributed to a comprehensive set of strategies. These include strict counter-terrorism laws, active intelligence gathering, financial regulations to prevent terrorist financing, regional security cooperation, and social cohesion initiatives.
The UAE's legal frameworks are robust, criminalizing terrorist acts and related activities. This legal rigor enables rapid and effective prosecution and deterrence, helping prevent domestic terrorism and disrupt potential threats early.
The country's intelligence capabilities are equally robust, with significant investment in advanced surveillance, border controls, and cooperation with international intelligence agencies. This joint effort aims to identify and neutralize threats effectively.
Financial controls against terrorist financing are another key component of the UAE's strategy. As part of global anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing measures, the UAE applies stringent regulations on financial transactions, monitoring suspicious activities, freezing assets linked to terrorism, and collaborating internationally to track illicit funding networks.
The UAE also actively partners with regional and global security organizations to share information, conduct joint operations against extremist groups, and participate in collective counter-terrorism efforts. This collaboration helps contain risks spilling over from nearby conflict zones.
Inside the country, the UAE promotes tolerance, interfaith dialogue, and educational programs to counter extremist ideologies. These initiatives maintain societal stability and reduce the likelihood of radicalization.
While the exact measures are not detailed explicitly in the GTI summary, these strategies are well-documented in UAE policy and are consistent with its continued low ranking and terrorist incident rates reported by various global safety and risk assessments.
The MoFAIC provides national reports on the UAE's efforts to combat terrorism, demonstrating its active role in this battle. These reports, along with the GTI, serve as valuable resources for understanding the UAE's approach to countering terrorism and extremism.
The Institute for Business Economics and Peace releases the Global Terrorism Index outcomes annually, with the most recent update on 20 January 2023. This ongoing assessment provides valuable insights into the global landscape of terrorism and the UAE's continued success in maintaining a low-risk status.
- In addition to its success in countering terrorism, the UAE also actively monitors general-news events, particularly those involving war-and-conflicts, given their potential impact on domestic security.
- The UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFAIC), in its annual reports, often includes crime-and-justice statistics and strategies to combat organized crime and maintain law and order.
- The UAE's vigilance in countering terrorism and extremism extends to its media landscape, where war-and-conflicts, politics, general-news, and crime-and-justice coverage is often subject to censorship and adherence to a conservative code of ethics.
