The French Presidency of FIEP organized and conducted an exploratory mission in Abu Dhabi from 5 to 8 May 2025. This step is part of the accession process that applies to the forces candidate for integration of FIEP, an international association bringing together twenty-one gendarmerie and police forces with military status, in the objective of cooperation in the face of criminal threat.
After the Republic of the Congo in February 2025, it was in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that the French Presidency of FIEP organized an exploratory mission from 5 to 8 May 2025 to study the application for membership of the National Guard of the United Arab Emirates.
The delegation was composed of nine representatives of FIEP: two members of the French National Gendarmerie, an Argentinian (country that will hold the next presidency), a guard of the Tunisian Gendarmerie, a Dutchman, an officer from Qatar, Spanish Civil Guard personnel, an Italian Carabinieri and a Chilean staff.
Throughout their visit, the members of the delegation attended the presentation of different units of the national guard, thus addressing several themes, such as airport security, the operation of specialized intervention units, the study of their aeronautical unit “search and rescue”, etc. They also visited the training institute and attended various demonstrations.
Ensure common values
This exploratory mission conducted for each of the candidate countries to join FIEP aims to ensure that the force in question meets all the required criteria, both in its organization and in its missions, values, responsivness ability.
In order to match with these criteria, the UAE National Guard has recently made a special effort, particularly in terms of feminization of its workforce; female personnel now represent 5% of its 15,000 personnel.
At the end of this visit, the members of the delegation will draft a full mission report that will then be transmitted and presented to the other FIEP members during the commission organized in Romania from June 30 to July 3, 2025. If the UAE’s integration is approved, the UAE national guard will then officially join the association as an observer for a period of one year. A decision that will be made at the annual FIEP summit that will take place in Paris in October 2025.
