Iran General Statement at 15th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice

Statement By H.E. Dr. Abbas BAGHERPOUR ARDEKANI, Director-General for International Legal Affairs of Ministry of Foreign Affaris of the Islamic Republic of Iran before the Fifteenth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Abu Dhabi - 28 September 2026

بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم

Mr. President,

Excellencies,

Distinguished delegates,

I would like to begin by appreciating the efforts made for the organization of the 15th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.

 

An effective and accountable criminal justice system is indispensable to preventing crime, ensuring justice, protecting rights and maintaining public confidence in the administration of justice.

 

Mr. President,

We gather at a time when the world is advancing toward digitalization at an unprecedented pace. In an era of rapid technological change, artificial intelligence has emerged as an innovative tool that can significantly enhance crime prevention strategies, provided that its use remains responsible, transparent and human-centered and can strengthen the capacity of States to prevent crime, protect victims and promote public safety, while expanding access to justice and legal awareness.

However, while emerging technologies have opened new horizons for development, they have simultaneously placed sophisticated tools in the hands of criminals and terrorists, even including the tools that challenge geographical borders, national sovereignty and territorial integrity of other States. In fact, we face a sustained pattern of threats, aggression, and contempt for the most basic rules of international law and all of those have been accompanied by including an aspect of using new technologies.

 

Cyber attacks against vital infrastructures, hacking banking systems, using social media to disseminate misinformation and disinformation, issuing rewards for revealing the whereabouts of officials and recruiting terrorists are among crimes enabled by cyber technologies.

 

As an alarming case in point, during the acts of aggression, committed since February in clear breach of the basic principles of international law, facilitated through the use of territory of other States, everything including these technologies have been used for commission of war crimes against the Iranian nation. This is why we believe that technology must be harnessed for the cause of justice, not for the perpetration of crime.

 

Mr. President,

Attaching great importance to strengthening crime prevention and criminal justice, the Islamic Republic of Iran has taken concrete steps, including its accession to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC) and its signing of the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime.

 

Iran has also developed its legislative, judicial, and administrative frameworks to combat various forms of crime. Moreover, Iran, at the forefront of combatting terrorists, has continued its efforts to prevent and counter terrorism at regional and international levels.

 

In addition, Iran has undertaken a range of crime prevention initiatives aimed at raising public awareness and improving access to justice. Only through the national “Judge at School” programme, approximately 275,000 students, parents, and educators have received legal and judicial training, contributing to a more inclusive, accessible, and people-centered criminal justice system.

 

Mr. President,

Endeavours in crime prevention, criminal justice and the rule of law, being the very theme of this meeting, should promote international cooperation towards a world free from crime.

 

Addressing and countering crime, including organized crime, and terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is impossible without international cooperation. However, Unilateral Coercive Measures (UCM), imposed in contravention of international law and the UN Charter, continue to impede such cooperation. These measures obstruct access to essential equipment, technologies, and financial resources required for effective criminal justice responses.

 

A glaring example of such unlawful measures is the campaign currently being waged against Iran, which is using economic coercion as an alternative instrument of the failed acts of aggression, seeking to pursue the same objectives by systematically targeting Iranian population under new but another failed attempt, announced in August 2026. The aggressor is now weaponizing economic deprivation as an instrument of collective punishment and political coercion, directly violating the fundamental rights of not only Iranian people but also other nations. This is why we continue to highlight this matter as a serious obstacle in the field of international cooperation in crime prevention and criminal justice.

In fact, in the light of the current global circumstances, this matter has assumed even greater significance. Needless to highlight that, to that end, respect for all human rights including the right to development is a must, and collective efforts to realize it are required.

 

To conclude, Mr. President, the Islamic Republic of Iran in its understanding of these evolving challenges, reaffirms its readiness to working constructively to strengthen international cooperation in preventing and combating crime, and promote a world that upholds every member to the same kind of standards. In this regard, we look forward to productive deliberations during this session.

I thank you.