The United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), in collaboration with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Executive Office for Control and Non-Proliferation (EOCN) and the United States Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), successfully concluded a two-day workshop titled “CBRN Proliferation Finance: The Emirati Perspective” on 27–28 May 2025 in Dubai. 

With over 70 representatives from key national authorities responsible for combating proliferation financing (PF), including law enforcement, supervisory and regulatory authorities, the workshop marked a milestone in strengthening international partnerships to combat CBRN-related financial threats. The longstanding cooperation between the UAE and UNICRI through the European Union (EU) Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Centres of Excellence Regional Secretariat, which is based in Abu Dhabi, contributed to this success. The Regional Secretariat, which plays a coordination role in the UAE and the wider Gulf region, was instrumental in facilitating contact with national agencies such as the EOCN. 

The agenda on day one focused on setting the strategic context with sessions covering the legal and institutional framework underpinning targeted financial sanctions and the role of the Executive Office. UNICRI presented its global and regional initiatives on counter-proliferation finance and WMD-related sanctions, highlighting lessons learned and best practices. A key feature of the day was the interactive exercise “Compliance in Action – Detect & Decide”, during which participants tackled scenarios involving suspicious financial transactions, with a specific lens on cyber-related issues. The day concluded with panel discussions on proliferation finance vulnerabilities in the Gulf region and the outcomes of the UAE’s 2024 National Risk Assessment on PF.

Day two focused on operational challenges in PF detection and its intersection with organized crime. Sessions explored investigative methodologies, typologies of PF linked to criminal networks, and the importance of public-private partnerships for financial intelligence sharing. The event culminated in a short-format tabletop simulation, which emphasized the importance of coordinated responses to evolving threats.
UNICRI expressed appreciation for the UAE’s leadership and commitment to countering WMD proliferation and fostering a risk-based approach to proliferation finance. Overall, the workshop provided a vital platform for exchanging insights on emerging threats and risk patterns of PF in the Gulf region, with an emphasis on enhancing strategic cooperation between the UAE, UNICRI and DTRA.

About UNICRI’s Global CBRN Counter-Proliferation Finance and Sanctions Evasion Programme

Thanks to the generous support of the United States’ Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), UNICRI has launched the United Nations’ first global programme on CBRN counter-proliferation financing and sanctions evasion. Through capacity-building activities, the programme aims to effectively disrupt the financing of illicit WMDs, thereby significantly reducing proliferation threats on a global scale.
The project or effort depicted is sponsored by the United States Department of Defense. The content of the information does not necessarily reflect the position or the policy of the Federal Government of the United States, and no official endorsement should be inferred.