78th INTERPOL General Assembly

78th INTERPOL General Assembly
Speech by Khoo Boon Hui, President of INTERPOL at the Closing Ceremony of the 78th INTERPOL General Assembly
15 October 2009, Singapore

Minister of Law and Second Minister of Home Affairs Mr. K Shanmugam;
Secretary General Mr. Ronald Noble;
Distinguished Delegates;
Ladies and Gentlemen;


We have come to the close of yet another General Assembly and we have worked diligently to confront many challenging issues. You have all contributed to the substantial discussions with your succinct comments. I must commend the moderators and presenters for doing such a great job; this had made my work as Chairman that much easier and allowed us to end our discussions ahead of schedule. Even then, I knew that you continued discussions during the coffee breaks, receptions and dinners. Thank you for your strong commitment to the cause of local, regional and global security.

Let me now sum up the General Assembly by sharing three observations. I am heartened, because these indicate that INTERPOL is moving in the right direction.

Firstly, we have seen our global network strengthened and INTERPOL’s influence growing. Our family has expanded. We have added our 188th member, Samoa. Last night, I learnt of another country’s interest in joining our fast growing family. INTERPOL has also linked arms with our natural partner, the UN, allowing us to tap on more resources. Having so many political leaders present earlier this week has also enhanced our profile. Some day in the future, we will realise just how significant our first Ministerial Meeting has been.

Secondly, INTERPOL has been steadily moving upstream in the fight against organised crime, criminal activity and terrorism. As countries have become more integrated, so has criminal and terrorist activity. Increasingly, there is greater recognition of the nexus between unstable states, crime and terrorism. It will no longer be sufficient to deal with each of these in silos. Our commitment to play a larger role in anti-corruption and peacekeeping, will therefore allow INTERPOL to be more effective. Our drive to build policing capacity also reflects our proactive approach. Thirdly, we have taken active steps to enhance transparency and information security. Good governance and prudent budgeting are critical for INTERPOL, given our global reach and influence. We must always invest our resources strategically and strive to do more with less. In today’s digital age, data integrity and confidentiality are increasingly important. Taken together, the tightening of internal controls is a positive development for it raises the credibility of INTERPOL.

In conclusion, your ideas and contributions have made this well-attended Assembly one of the best ever, but the best is yet to be. Our plans must come to fruition. These should not remain etched on paper and we must bring them to life with action. As leaders, you must align your organisation to these resolutions and inspire new initiatives. Only then will we meet tomorrow’s challenges with confidence.

As host, I am heartened to have received so many comments that this has been a well-organised General Assembly. I hope that problems that you may have encountered have been resolved quickly. As your President, I am privileged to thank, on your behalf, the Secretary- General and his able staff, interpreters and support staff who have been working diligently behind the scenes, as well as the officers of the Singapore Police Force and our band for their contributions. And I thank all of you for showing the world your support for INTERPOL.

I look forward to an even better General Assembly and learning about your exciting progress in Qatar next year. Thank you and Bon Voyage.