Federal Law No. (12) of 2020 Establishing the International Center of Excellence for Countering Extremism and Violent Extremism
Federal Law No. (12) of 2020
This federal institutional law establishes the International Center of Excellence for Countering Extremism and Violent Extremism as a UAE-based center for research, knowledge, capacity building, international cooperation and coordinated efforts to prevent and counter extremism and violent extremism.
Overview
What this legislation covers
This federal institutional law establishes the International Center of Excellence for Countering Extremism and Violent Extremism as a UAE-based center for research, knowledge, capacity building, international cooperation and coordinated efforts to prevent and counter extremism and violent extremism.
Who or what it applies to
- The International Center of Excellence for Countering Extremism and Violent Extremism and its governing/administrative bodies.
- Persons and entities participating in the center's programmes, partnerships, studies and institutional activities.
- Federal authorities coordinating with the center within their legal competences.
- International organisations, research institutions and partners cooperating with the center.
Key points
Important points at a glance
Official UAE legislation records the law as active.
Issued on 10 November 2020, published in Official Gazette No. 690 on 15 November 2020, and effective on 16 November 2020.
Establishes a specialised international center dedicated to countering extremism and violent extremism.
Creates legal personality and institutional capacity for the center to perform its mandate.
Focuses on research, studies, analysis and the development of knowledge and best practice.
Supports training, capacity building and professional development in counter-extremism fields.
Facilitates regional and international cooperation, partnerships and exchange of expertise.
Permits the center to organise conferences, seminars, workshops and specialised programmes.
Provides a governance and management framework for the center.
Regulates financial resources, budget and administrative affairs at institutional level.
Supports coordination with competent UAE authorities and international partners.
Operates as an institutional/preventive framework rather than a criminal code defining terrorism offences.
Must be read alongside the UAE's terrorism, anti-discrimination, AML/CFT and national-security legislation where relevant.
Practical explanation
Understanding the law
Purpose and practical effect
This federal institutional law establishes the International Center of Excellence for Countering Extremism and Violent Extremism as a UAE-based center for research, knowledge, capacity building, international cooperation and coordinated efforts to prevent and counter extremism and violent extremism.
Who / what the law applies to
- The International Center of Excellence for Countering Extremism and Violent Extremism and its governing/administrative bodies.
- Persons and entities participating in the center's programmes, partnerships, studies and institutional activities.
- Federal authorities coordinating with the center within their legal competences.
- International organisations, research institutions and partners cooperating with the center.
Important definitions
- Center: the International Center of Excellence for Countering Extremism and Violent Extremism established by the law.
- Extremism / Violent Extremism: concepts addressed institutionally by the center; criminal liability remains governed by the exact applicable penal statutes.
- Competent Authorities: UAE authorities whose legal mandates intersect with the center's activities.
- Partnerships: cooperation arrangements that remain subject to UAE public-law, foreign-relations and financial controls.
Principal rights, duties and legal consequences
- The center may perform the institutional functions assigned by law within its approved mandate.
- Governing and executive bodies must act within statutory competences and approved policies.
- Cooperation with external partners must respect UAE laws, national policy and competent-authority requirements.
- The law does not itself replace criminal-law safeguards or create unrestricted investigative powers.
Practical procedure / compliance checklist
- Identify whether a proposed programme falls within the center's statutory objectives.
- Obtain internal governance approval required for programmes, partnerships or expenditure.
- Coordinate international or cross-government activity with the competent UAE entities.
- Document research, training and programme outputs under approved policies.
- Apply public-finance, procurement, data, confidentiality and security rules applicable to the activity.
Important dates and deadlines
- Effective date: 16 November 2020.
- Programme, procurement, reporting and financial deadlines depend on the center's approved governance rules and applicable federal legislation.
- No general private claim-filing deadline is created by this institutional law.
Enforcement and legal exposure
The law is primarily institutional and governance-focused. Compliance is enforced through the center's statutory governance, public-finance and administrative controls and through other applicable UAE laws. Criminal or administrative liability, where relevant, arises under the separate substantive legislation governing the conduct concerned.
Practical scenarios
- A federal entity partnering on a counter-extremism research project should confirm that the project falls within both entities' statutory competences.
- An international conference may be organised through the center subject to applicable approvals, security and foreign-relations coordination.
- A training programme can build institutional capability but does not itself alter statutory powers of law-enforcement bodies.
- Handling sensitive research information should be aligned with applicable confidentiality, data-protection and national-security requirements.
Amendments and current-law interaction
No amendment was identified in the official source metadata reviewed for this package. Current application should still be checked against later institutional resolutions and related national-security legislation.
Research and publication caution
UAE federal legislation frequently operates together with Executive Regulations, Cabinet resolutions, ministerial decisions, local competent-authority rules and later amendments. This explanation is intended as detailed practical guidance for research and website publication, not as a substitute for the official Arabic text or case-specific legal advice.
Research status
Current-law verification for this package was performed on 2026-09-07.
Practical notes
- Use the official current Arabic text for interpretation and application; the English package is a structured legal-information rendering.
- Verify the current consolidated version and related regulations immediately before a filing, transaction, enforcement decision or court submission.
- Exact penalties, thresholds, exceptions and procedural deadlines must be checked against the exact current article and implementing instrument.
- The supplied cover artwork is editorial artwork and is not a source of legal authority or evidence of government endorsement.
Legislation text
Text and provisions
Official-text notice. This file is a comprehensive structured English legal-information rendering based on the UAE sources listed in this package. It is not represented as the legally controlling verbatim English text. For interpretation and application, consult the original Arabic legislation, the Official Gazette and the latest consolidated official version. Exact offence elements, penalties, thresholds, exceptions and procedural periods must be checked against the current article and implementing instrument.
Federal Law No. (12) of 2020 Establishing the International Center of Excellence for Countering Extremism and Violent Extremism
Verified legislative metadata
| Instrument | Federal Law No. (12) of 2020 |
|---|---|
| Issued | 2020-11-10 |
| Effective | 2020-11-16 |
| Status | Active / in force |
| Official source | UAE legislation source |
Legislative purpose and scope
This federal institutional law establishes the International Center of Excellence for Countering Extremism and Violent Extremism as a UAE-based center for research, knowledge, capacity building, international cooperation and coordinated efforts to prevent and counter extremism and violent extremism.
Structured legislative map
Establishment and legal status
Establishes the center as the federal/international institutional vehicle described by the law and gives it the capacity needed to carry out its statutory objectives.
Objectives
Directs the center toward prevention and countering of extremism and violent extremism through knowledge, expertise, coordinated initiatives and institutional excellence.
Research and studies
Authorises specialised research, analytical work, studies, publications and development of evidence-based approaches and methodologies.
Training and capacity building
Supports training programmes, technical assistance, workshops and professional capacity development for relevant stakeholders.
International cooperation
Enables cooperation, partnerships and exchange with regional/international organisations and specialist institutions in accordance with UAE law and foreign-relations controls.
Events and knowledge exchange
Provides an institutional basis for conferences, seminars, forums and expert meetings related to the center's mandate.
Governance
Creates the governance/management framework through which strategic direction, policies and institutional oversight are exercised.
Executive management
Provides for executive administration and implementation of approved plans, programmes and institutional decisions.
Financial resources
Regulates the center's resources, appropriations and other permitted sources of funding subject to applicable public-finance controls.
Budget and accounts
Subjects financial administration, budgeting and accounts to the mechanisms applicable under the law and relevant federal rules.
Cooperation with UAE authorities
Requires the center's activity to remain coordinated with competent national authorities and within the legal competences of each body.
Final provisions
Provides the legal transition, implementation and publication/commencement framework. Official metadata records effect from 16 November 2020.
Key statutory points
- Official UAE legislation records the law as active.
- Issued on 10 November 2020, published in Official Gazette No. 690 on 15 November 2020, and effective on 16 November 2020.
- Establishes a specialised international center dedicated to countering extremism and violent extremism.
- Creates legal personality and institutional capacity for the center to perform its mandate.
- Focuses on research, studies, analysis and the development of knowledge and best practice.
- Supports training, capacity building and professional development in counter-extremism fields.
- Facilitates regional and international cooperation, partnerships and exchange of expertise.
- Permits the center to organise conferences, seminars, workshops and specialised programmes.
- Provides a governance and management framework for the center.
- Regulates financial resources, budget and administrative affairs at institutional level.
- Supports coordination with competent UAE authorities and international partners.
- Operates as an institutional/preventive framework rather than a criminal code defining terrorism offences.
- Must be read alongside the UAE's terrorism, anti-discrimination, AML/CFT and national-security legislation where relevant.
Amendments, implementing instruments and interaction with other legislation
No amendment was identified in the official source metadata reviewed for this package. Current application should still be checked against later institutional resolutions and related national-security legislation.
Case-specific reading rule
This legislative map is designed for website publication and legal research. It gives a complete substantive overview of the statute's operative areas without pretending that a paraphrase can replace the controlling Arabic wording. Where the outcome depends on a defined term, penalty, exception, jurisdictional condition, transitional rule or procedural deadline, the current official article must be opened and applied directly.
Verification
Official source & references
Official legislation sourcehttps://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/2807Open ↗Official Gazette: Official Gazette No. 690, published 15 November 2020
This page is a research and educational resource. Legislation can be amended, repealed, supplemented by regulations or interpreted by courts and authorities. Obtain advice before relying on it for a live matter.