New York, August 9, 2024 – After three years of work, the committee established by the United Nations General Assembly to negotiate a new convention against cybercrime has agreed on a draft text for such a convention. The draft is expected to be adopted by the General Assembly later this year, making it the first legally binding global instrument on cybercrime.
This achievement represents the culmination of a five-year effort by UN Member States with contributions from civil society, academia and the private sector. UNODC acted as the substantive secretariat for the negotiations.
“The finalization of this Convention is a historic event, as it is the first multilateral crime treaty in more than 20 years and the first UN Convention against Cybercrime, at a time when threats in cyberspace are growing rapidly,” said UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly. “I congratulate Member States and the Ad Hoc Committee, under the leadership of Ambassador Faouzia Boumaiza-Mebarki as Chair and prominent representative of women diplomats, for guiding the negotiations and reaching consensus on the final text. We at UNODC are immensely proud to have supported the negotiation process and to serve as the secretariat of the convention. We will continue to play a central role in supporting the implementation and ratification of the convention, once adopted by the General Assembly, as well as providing technical assistance to Member States, as we work with all countries and partners to safeguard digital spaces.”
As noted in the draft convention, technology has created opportunities for crimes to grow in scale, speed and scope, from terrorism to drug trafficking, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, firearms trafficking, among others.
This document provides tools that will enhance international cooperation, law enforcement efforts, technical assistance and capacity building in cybercrime.
To read the draft convention, click here:
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For more information, contact
Victor Manuel Merchand Benitez victor.merchand@un.org
