Tuesday: 5 April 2011:
Under the patronage of Lt. Colonel HH Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy prime minister and minister of interior, the virtual global taskforce “VGT” held a meeting today at Yas Island hotel in Abu Dhabi.
The meeting discussed the existing work mechanisms, the future plans on developing the methods of cooperation, chances for improving the present initiatives related with the projects currently in place.
The meeting themed “youth and virtual global taskforce – together forward”, will run until the 7th of April.
Major General Nasser Lekhrebani Al Nuaimi, secretary general of the office of HH prime minister and minister of interior, and also chairman of higher committee for child protection welcomed the participants to their second country UAE and conveyed the regards of HH deputy prime minister and minister of interior who wished success for them in their meeting.
In a statement at the beginning of the meeting, Al Nuaimi stressed the keenness of our higher leadership in boosting global cooperation in many issues including making the internet safer to children vulnerable to exploitation, applying measures of crime prevention and bringing to justice sex offenders.
This meeting which is held for the first time in the Middle East region will contribute positively in improving the joint cooperation to adopt the best international practices in the UAE through the higher committee for child protection in the ministry of interior as well as through the international partnerships.
Al Nuaimi called for the need of establishing a global cooperation for sharing information especially about sex offenders to prevent them from entering to any other country, thus arrest any further possibilities of such an offence in another country. He also maintained a global sex offenders’ register which will be accessible to member countries to help take necessary precautions against offenders.
The UAE has made remarkable progress in the child protection, he added, highlighting the procedures followed by the higher committee for child protection at the ministry on interior through its cooperation and partnership with various agencies in the county.
For his part, Lit. Col Faisal Mohammed Al Shammari, liaison officer with VGT and the media coordinator said, “VGT has previously held two press conferences to reflect the achievements and the operations conducted by the taskforce, one of which was an operation where most EU countries and some countries which are not member states in VGT have participated. These efforts have contributed to blocking many offensive websites and arresting many of those involved in such practices.