Resolution No. 40 of 2026, signed by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan as Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, establishes a specialised court system dedicated exclusively to human trafficking crimes. The Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister’s resolution creates an integrated judicial infrastructure designed to handle trafficking cases from investigation through appeal, consolidating what had previously been distributed across generalist courts.
The new framework operates across multiple tiers. A specialised Public Prosecution unit will lead investigations and prosecutions, while Courts of First Instance and Courts of Appeal have been granted explicit authority over trafficking matters. That vertical integration is intended to eliminate fragmentation in case handling and cut the procedural delays that routinely occur when trafficking cases migrate through general court dockets.
What changed is not the law itself. The trafficking offences remain defined by existing penal codes. The resolution restructures the institutional pathway through which those offences are investigated, prosecuted, and adjudicated, assigning them to judges, prosecutors, and support staff with dedicated expertise in an area that frequently involves complex victim circumstances, transnational elements, and sensitive evidentiary challenges.
On the question of existing caseloads, the resolution is direct: all pending human trafficking cases in Abu Dhabi courts must transfer to the newly established specialised court. One exception applies, cases where pleadings have already closed will remain in their current proceedings. The consolidation requirement makes the new court the single point of jurisdiction for all active trafficking matters within the emirate, preventing parallel proceedings and creating a unified caseload from day one.
Implementation authority sits with the undersecretary of the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, who will issue the operational decisions needed to activate the court and establish protocols for case referral, evidence handling, and procedural timelines. The undersecretary’s office will also monitor whether the court meets efficiency targets as cases move through the system.
Officials framed the move as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen the emirate’s judicial capacity and deliver justice within reasonable timeframes. By concentrating expertise, resources, and procedural authority in a single specialised venue, the system aims to improve both the speed and quality of adjudication while reinforcing legal protections for trafficking victims.
The timeline for full operational readiness has not been publicly specified. The undersecretary’s office must first issue implementation decisions that will determine when the court begins accepting transferred cases and processing new filings. The consolidation of pending cases will likely proceed in phases, with priority given to cases closest to trial readiness and those involving the most vulnerable victims.
Whether the specialised structure delivers measurably faster outcomes, and whether the phased transfer of pending cases proceeds without procedural disruption, will be the practical test of whether the resolution’s ambitions translate into operational results.