Since his appointment as INTERPOL Secretary General, Valdecy Urquiza has established himself as a leader committed to enhancing the Organization’s effectiveness and impact through innovation and capacity building.
With more than two decades of enforcement experience across a range of areas, his commitment to combating environmental crime was shaped early in his career during a posting to the Amazon, where he witnessed first-hand its devastating human and ecological consequences.
During his time in charge of INTERPOL’s Vulnerable Communities unit, he led critical victim-centric initiatives against crimes against children, human trafficking, and migrant smuggling at the regional and global levels.
His leadership in modernizing law enforcement technology began as Director of Information Technology for the Brazilian Federal Police, where he was at the forefront of developing digital systems to support officers across a diverse range of duty stations.
With a continued commitment to international police cooperation and data security, Secretary General Urquiza is dedicated to advancing INTERPOL as a transparent, neutral, diverse and future-ready organization.
Secretary General Urquiza will oversee the implementation of the Organization’s new five-year (2026 – 2030) Strategic Framework which is built on three core pillars:
• Be the trusted global information hub for law enforcement
• Provide world-class investigative and operational support
• Serve as the leading voice of law enforcement worldwide
Professional experience
2024-date - Secretary General of INTERPOL
2023-2024 - Director of International Cooperation, Brazilian Federal Police
2021-2024 - Vice-President for the Americas on INTERPOL’s Executive Committee
2021-2022 - Head of the International Legal Cooperation Division, Brazilian Federal Police
2018-2021 - Assistant Director for Vulnerable Communities, INTERPOL General Secretariat
2015-2018 - Head of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) of Brazil and Head of International Police Cooperation for the Brazilian Federal Police
2007-2018 - Leadership roles within the Brazilian Federal Police as the head of International Relations; Information Technology, Logistics, Finance and Procurement Administration; Environmental Crime Enforcement; and Financial Crimes Enforcement Group.
2004-2007 - Attorney specialized in public and environmental law
Academic experience
Masters in Cyber Intelligence, University of Alcala, Spain
Professional Development Program, Harvard University, USA
Graduate of the FBI National Academy, Quantico, USA
Since 2010 - Professor at the National Police Academy of the Brazilian Federal Police
MBA in Public Administration, Brazilian Institute of Capital Markets (IBMEC), Brasilia, Brazil
Bachelor in Law, University of Fortaleza (UNIFOR), Fortaleza, Brazil