INTERPOL Foundation for a Safer World has announced the appointment of Arif Naqvi, Founder and Group Chief Executive of The Abraaj Group, to its global Board of Trustees.
The INTERPOL Foundation for a Safer World was established in 2013 to crystallize the thought that a safer world cannot be achieved by police activities alone, but has rather become a collective responsibility requiring a global alliance between governments, businesses and civil society in a joint response to today’s challenges in combating organized crime and terrorist activities.
In his role as Trustee, Mr Naqvi will take the lead in chairing one of five initiatives launched by the Foundation as part of its global mandate to develop public-private partnerships in enhancing international police and law enforcement.
The I-CHECKIT initiative chaired by Mr Naqvi is aimed at protecting key industries that are particularly vulnerable to the threat of identity fraud, such as airlines, hotels, passenger shipping companies, banks and financial institutions.
HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco heads the Board of Trustees of the Foundation in an honorary capacity. H.E. Elias Murr was unanimously elected by INTERPOL’s 82nd General Assembly to become the founding President of the INTERPOL Foundation for a Safer World and is the former Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Interior and Minister of Defence of the Republic of Lebanon.
In accepting the position as a Trustee Member, Mr Naqvi joins a group of eminent industry representatives including the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Nissan & Renault, Carlos Ghosn; Chief Executive Officer of HSBC, Stuart Gulliver; Chairman of Credit Agricole, Jean-Marie Sander; and Chairman of Tata Sons, Ratan Tata.
The launch of the Foundation’s five global initiatives was announced during the Ministerial Meeting of INTERPOL’s 83rd General Assembly held in Monaco and in the presence of the Justice, Security and Home Affairs Ministers and delegates from 166 countries.
The other four remaining initiatives include: Protecting Cultural Property and Heritage and Modernizing Channels of International Judicial Co-operation, led by H.E. Elias Murr ; INVEX, the fight against transnational vehicle crime and theft, led by Carlos Ghosn ; and Protecting Banks and Financial Institutions, co-led by Stuart Gulliver and Jean-Marie Sander .
H.E. Elias Murr, President of the Foundation commented: “We are very pleased that Mr Naqvi has accepted the position as Trustee of the Foundation and will chair the working group of the I-CHECKIT initiative.
The Foundation was established on the basis that in an increasingly fragile world, true and lasting progress can only be made through a concerted collaboration between governments, private sector and civil society.
With over 25 years’ experience in the private sector, operating across the world in growth markets, and as a passionate believer in the power of civic engagement, the Foundation and our global initiatives will benefit enormously from Mr Naqvi’s participation and leadership”.
Speaking on his appointment, Mr. Naqvi added: “Building vibrant, sustainable and secure societies is an aspiration shared by each and every nation state.
However as borders grow more porous and as our world becomes ever more interconnected and interdependent, this aspiration has also to be shared by business and society. We dream of living in a world that allows communities to thrive, economically and socially.
The INTERPOL Foundation for a Safer World is creating this global eco-system that ultimately will make the world a safer place for us all. I am privileged to be able to join this dynamic alliance and play my part in helping global businesses operate in a clean and prosperous environment as part of this visionary public-private initiative”.
INTERPOL celebrated its centenary this year with each of its 190 member countries maintaining a National Central Bureau comprising highly skilled law enforcement officials coordinated by the General Secretariat of INTERPOL operating from Lyon in France and representative offices at the United Nations and the European Union.
INTERPOL ensures the widest possible mutual assistance between police authorities across its member countries and in the spirit of the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights” in combating cross- border crime and assistance in international arrest and extradition procedures.
African Eye News.com
