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COMBATING CRIME
Federal Police Commissioner Valdecy Urquiza appointed Secretary-General of INTERPOL
Image: Federal Police/Ministry of Justice and Public Security
Federal Police Commissioner Valdecy Urquiza has been appointed by the INTERPOL General Assembly, in Glasgow (Scotland), as the new secretary-general of the world’s largest police organization. With this choice, Urquiza becomes the first representative of a developing country to occupy this position in INTERPOL’s 100 years of existence, marking a historical moment for Brazil and expanding the Brazilian presence in the global fight against organized crime.
In his speech at the General Assembly, Brazil’s Minister of Justice and Public Security Ricardo Lewandowski highlighted that INTERPOL’s new Brazilian representative will focus his tenure on promoting diversity and modernizing the organization while strengthening its transparency and integrity. "I am convinced that Commissioner Urquiza will support the Member States in promoting a safer and more stable world in the face of these challenges," he stated.
The minister also mentioned the need for changes in combating criminal organizations. "Transnational organized crime has diversified and criminal activities are more intertwined than ever. Today, crime represents a threat to all nations, regardless of geography, levels of development, and government systems. For this reason, we have a word we use as a mantra for actions to combat crime in Brazil: integration. No other international agency is better positioned than INTERPOL for the task of improving partnerships across the world and in all its formats: bilateral, regional, and multilateral cooperation," Lewandowski pointed out.
Approved by a majority of INTERPOL’s 196 member states, Urquiza will take office after the end of the mandate of the current secretary-general, Jürgen Stock, from Germany, next Thursday (7). The election was held in the context of INTERPOL’s Executive Committee in Lyon on June 2024 and was ratified this Tuesday (5).
Commissioner Urquiza’s ratification reflects the high level of priority attributed by the Brazilian Government to combating transnational organized crime, which increasingly has international cooperation as a key dimension. Furthermore, it represents the international community’s recognition of Brazil’s Federal Police professionalism and competence in fighting crime, as well as its relevant contribution to the work of INTERPOL.
The successful campaign to elect Brazil’s Valdecy Urquiza as INTERPOL’s secretary-general was the result of close collaboration among the Federal Police, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Justice and Public Security.
The secretary-general is INTERPOL’s main executive role, with a five-year mandate. Urquiza is currently the Federal Police’s International Cooperation director, having held the position of INTERPOL’s Vice-President for the Americas between 2021 and 2024.
PROFESSIONAL RECORD — In his trajectory, Urquiza held prominent positions such as head of Brazil’s Federal Police Division of International Legal Cooperation and assistant director at the Organized and Emerging Crime Directorate at the INTERPOL headquarters in Lyon, France. In Brazil, he led INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau, and the Federal Police’s International Police Cooperation (Cooperação Policial Internacional), International Relations (Relações Internacionais), and Information Technology (Tecnologia da Informação) divisions.
Graduated in Law from the University of Fortaleza, with postgraduate studies in Public Administration from IBMEC and Environmental Law from the Pontifical Catholic University (PUC) of São Paulo, Urquiza is also an alumnus of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia, USA.
At 43 years old, born in São Luís, in the state of Maranhão, he will be responsible for leading the organization in its global efforts to combat transnational crime and strengthen international police cooperation.