The 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice will be held at ADNEC Centre Abu Dhabi from 26 September to 1 October 2026. The congress is convened by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and is hosted by the United Arab Emirates. The previous congress in the region was the 13th, held in Doha in 2015.
The UN Crime Congress is held every five years and is the largest intergovernmental meeting on crime prevention, criminal justice and the rule of law. Ministers of justice and interior, attorneys general, senior judges, law enforcement leaders and international organisations attend, alongside academics and civil society. The 2026 agenda addresses organised crime, corruption, cybercrime, the misuse of new technologies and the recovery of stolen assets.
The congress matters to business because its outcome document shapes international standards on anti corruption, financial crime and corporate liability that national regulators then implement. General counsel, chief compliance officers and heads of risk at banks, exchanges and large corporates in the region follow it closely, and the choice of Abu Dhabi reflects the UAE's effort to position itself on financial crime enforcement.
Participation is by accreditation through the United Nations. The programme and documentation are published on the UN conference portal.
