PRI at the 15th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice
PRI will take part in the 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, taking place in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, from 26 September to 1 October 2026.
As well as participating in the plenaries and programme, PRI is co-organising ancillary (side) events, bringing together Member States, UN entities, civil society and people with lived experience to discuss some of today’s most pressing criminal justice issues.
Global Prison Trends: Progress made, challenges ahead, trends to watch
Saturday, 26 September | 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. (GST)
Venue: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), Room 2C and online
Join online: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85753222310?pwd=OWUa78NT70GSMiHDtBO7TQIvTfZNcI.1
(Meeting ID: 857 5322 2310 | Passcode: 445634)
Co-sponsors:
Finland, Germany, Norway, Switzerland, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Thailand Institute of Justice, the United Nations Latin American Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (ILANUD), and Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies.
While launched at the UN Crime Commission in May this year, Global Prison Trends 2026, PRI and TIJ’s flagship annual publication examines prison systems and criminal justice frameworks worldwide, focusing this year on overcrowding, organised crime, and gaps in rehabilitation and reintegration. Panellists will discuss how weakened rule of law and governance affect places of detention and explore evidence-based approaches to reducing prison populations. This ancillary event will centre the voices of those with lived experience of the criminal justice system.
Speakers:
Download the flyer here.
Green Prisons: Exploring sustainability and rehabilitation
Saturday, 26 September | 13:00 – 14:00 (GMT+4)
Venue: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), Room 2C (Hybrid)
Join online: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/3724834162911?p=EUkxQs3bBG7cmGJKnF
Co-sponsors: United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), Ministry of Justice of Japan, Penal Reform International, Permanent Mission of Norway to the International Organizations in Vienna
This ancillary event will present the findings of PRI and UNICRI’s research initiative exploring the intersection of environmental sustainability and rehabilitation in prisons, including national practices that improve living conditions and reduce operational costs. Panellists will discuss a rights-based approach to environmental reform in detention settings, keeping human dignity, rehabilitation and social inclusion central. The event will close with dialogue on adapting green prison practices across differing legal, economic, and climatic contexts.
Download the flyer here.
From Risk to Reform: Countering Prison Corruption
Monday, 28 September | 11:30 – 12:30 p.m. (GST)
Venue: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), Room 2D (Hybrid)
Register online: https://www.u4.no/events/from-risk-to-reform-countering-prison-corruption
Co-sponsors: Organized by Norway, the U4 Anti-Corruption Resource Centre at Chr. Michelsen Institute with the support of Chile, China, the UNODC Corruption and Economic Crime Branch, Centro de Estudios Justicia y Sociedad, the Inter-American Development Bank, the International Association of Anti-Corruption Authorities and Penal Reform International.
This session will address how corruption in prison systems undermines human rights and the safeguards intended to protect people in detention. Speakers will introduce practical guidance on independent monitoring and oversight of corruption in prison, corruption risk management and integrity building in prison environments, with a regional focus.
Download the flyer here.
Fast tracking collaboration to implement the Bangkok Rules
Tuesday, 29 September | 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. (GST)
Venue: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), Room 2B (Hybrid)
Join online: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86776670371?pwd=n3DM7Prat4BXb1s23pqQZxms7eaiCS.1
(Meeting ID: 867 7667 0371 | Passcode: 394234)
Co-sponsors: Women Beyond Walls, the International Network of Formerly Incarcerated Women, Penal Reform International, the Thailand Institute of Justice, Pathfinders for Peaceful, Just and Inclusive Societies, and WO=MEN.
This ancillary event will examine the root causes of rising women’s imprisonment worldwide, including poverty, discrimination, and gender-based violence, and the continued underuse of gender-responsive alternatives. Drawing on the expertise of women with lived experience and lessons from implementation of the Bangkok Rules, speakers will highlight the role of advocacy networks led by formerly imprisoned women. A global map of organisations working with women in prison will be launched during the session.
Speakers: Toni Tulloch (International Network of Formerly Incarcerated Women), Akosua Akuffo (Tithandizane Comfort Homes, International Network of Formerly Incarcerated Women and Penal Reform International), Sabrina Mahtani (Women Beyond Walls), Chontit Chuenurah (Thailand Institute of Justice), Nadia van der Linde (Dutch Gender Platform), and Olivia Rope (Penal Reform International) as moderator.
Download the flyer here.
Exploring alternatives to the death penalty that safeguard human dignity
Tuesday, 29 September | 4:30 – 5:30 p.m. (GST)
Venue: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), Room 2B (Hybrid)
Join online: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81879681951?pwd=vQbblBbwnP4yJnl6cXmvIkR5KHC6Cp.1
(Meeting ID: 818 7968 1951 | Passcode: 654784)
Co-sponsors: European Union, Penal Reform International, Centre for Research and Education in Security, Prisons and Forensic Psychiatry at St Olavs University Hospital, School of Law at University of Nottingham, Institute for Crime and Justice Policy Research (ICPR), Ensemble contre la peine de mort (ECPM), and Reprieve
Marking continued global movement away from capital punishment, this ancillary event will explore sentencing frameworks that preserve opportunities for review and rehabilitation once countries move beyond the death penalty. Speakers, including the voices of lived experience, will discuss how life imprisonment without parole and other alternatives can remain proportionate and consistent with international human rights standards. The discussion draws on PRI’s recently updated information pack on alternatives to the death penalty. This event is made possible thanks to the funding of the European Union.
Speakers: Opening remarks will be delivered by H.E. Ambassador Carl Hallergård (Ambassador, Permanent Representative, Delegation of the European Union to the International Organisations in Vienna) and Olivia Rope (Executive Director, Penal Reform International), followed by keynote contributions from a person with lived experience from Taiwan, Zaved Mahmood (Lead on Incarceration, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights), Catherine Appleton and Zinat Jimada (Centre for Research and Education in Security, Prisons and Forensic Psychiatry at St Olavs University Hospital; School of Law, University of Nottingham; Institute for Crime and Justice Policy Research), Judge Raja Abinader (Head of the Prisons Directorate, Ministry of Justice, Lebanon), and Oyungerel Tsedevdamba (Chairperson of the Civic Unity Party of Mongolia, former Minister of Culture, Tourism and Sports, and former Member of Parliament, tbc).
Download the flyer here.
Lived Experience, Co-Production and Global Penal Reform: Embedding Ethical Lived Experience Knowledges in Criminal Justice Systems
Wednesday, 30 September | 11.30 a.m. – 12.30 p.m. (GST)
Venue: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), Room 2B (Hybrid)
Join online: https://adelaide.zoom.us/j/86879627298?pwd=4x3Aak52fyXFRlwWHff7b8Rurc7DT7.1
(Meeting ID: 868 7962 7298 | Passcode: 919852)
Co-sponsors: Organized by Penal Reform International with the support of Australia, Canada, Ateneo de Manila University, Adelaide University, the University of Chester, the University of Sheffield, Unlock UK, the Thailand Institute of Justice, Stichting Sileo, Ask the Network, and Imagining Possible Futures.
This ancillary event will explore how lived experience of imprisonment is shaping penal reform agendas, from community-led decarceration and prison monitoring to national policy reviews and staff training. Speakers will examine ethical frameworks for meaningful engagement that avoid tokenism, alongside the implications of embedding lived experience within multilateral processes. The session draws on comparative examples from several jurisdictions to inform a shared set of guiding principles.
Speakers: Dwayne Antojado (Ateneo de Manila University/Adelaide University), Olivia Rope, (Penal Reform International), Gill Buck (University of Chester/ Imagining Possible Futures), Danica Darley (University of Sheffield), Paula Harriott (Unlock), Chontit Chuneurah (Thailand Institute of Justice).
Download the flyer here.
Civil Society Priorities for Action Beyond the 15th UN Crime Congress
Wednesday, 30 September | 11.30 a.m. – 12.30 p.m. (GST)
Venue: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), Room 1D (Hybrid)
Co-sponsors: Organized by the Alliance of NGOs on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice with the support of the UNODC Civil Society Unit, the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, the Asia Crime Prevention Foundation, the Centre for Governance Research Pakistan, Criminologists Without Borders, the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, the Group of Friends for Multistakeholder Participation in UNODC Matters, the International Legal Foundation, Kennis: Knowledge for Safety and Good Governance, Penal Reform International, Rapha International, Soroptimist International, the Wildlife Justice Commission, World Society of Victimology and Zonta International.
This ancillary event will present a range of civil society priorities and recommendations for the implementation period following the Abu Dhabi Declaration, drawing on inputs gathered throughout the Congress preparatory process. Speakers drawn from civil society, supported by Member State representatives, will set out key recommendations for the years ahead.
Download the flyer here.
Public–Private Partnerships for People-Centered Justice in the Digital Age: Protecting Women, Children and Youth while Advancing the Rule of Law
Monday, 28 September | 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. (GST)
Venue: Online – Register here: https://bakerxchange.com/cv/ffbdb2b66ffa3dae0be312a7ad7144535ea79a18
Co-sponsors: Organized by Penal Reform International with the support of Baker McKenzie Pro Bono and the International Centre for Justice Alliance.
This ancillary event will explore how collaboration across the private, public, and civil society sectors can deliver more accessible, inclusive, and people-centred justice, with a particular focus on women, children, and young people. Panellists will bring perspectives from the judiciary, the private sector, and civil society. The discussion will close by looking ahead to future possibilities for such partnerships in advancing the rule of law.
Building resilient justice systems: Global perspectives and UK contributions
Sunday, 27 September | 16:30 (GST)
Venue: Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), Hybrid Room 1C
Join online: https://teams.microsoft.com/meet/382107462016695?p=N1Gli26m103l3DKSQu
Co-sponsors: UK Government, Japan – Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Thailand – Royal Thai Police, Nigeria, Council of Europe, Penal Reform International
This ancillary event will examine how strategic partnerships support justice governance reform in challenging environments, drawing on case studies covering police reform in Thailand, justice sector recovery in Ukraine, and judicial training partnerships in Nigeria. Panellists will discuss how international cooperation on rule of law and custody practice translates into practical outcomes. The event will close with reflections from ministerial-level participants on lessons for future collaboration.
Download the flyer here.