The United Nations opens the door for signing the first global convention to combat cybercrime
65 countries have signed the agreement, and each country must then ratify it according to its own national procedures.
During a signing ceremony United Nations Convention against Crime Cyber, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres confirmed that the agreement constitutes “A strong, legally binding instrument to strengthen our collective defenses against cybercrime. It is evidence of the continuing power of joint and multilateral solutions, and a pledge that no country, whatever its level of development, will be left unprotected in the face of cybercrime.”
Among the most important points related to the agreement:
⬅️It is the first global framework for collecting, exchanging and using electronic evidence related to all serious crimes, as there have not yet been widely accepted international standards in this field.
⬅️It is the first international treaty to criminalize cybercrimes, along with crimes related to online fraud, child sexual abuse material, and their exploitation or luring via the Internet.
⬅️The first international convention that lists non-consensual publishing of intimate images as a crime.
⬅️ Establishes the first global network that operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (24/7) to enable countries to immediately cooperate with each other.
⬅️Stresses the importance of building countries’ capabilities to prosecute and cooperate on accelerating cybercrimes.
Ghada Waly, Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, said: “Cybercrime is changing the face of organized crime as we know it. The new UN Convention gives Member States a vital tool to cooperate together to combat cybercrime. The signing of the Convention reaffirms the enduring importance of multilateral cooperation after five years of negotiations.”
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the agreement in December 2024, and it is scheduled to enter into force 90 days after the 40th country ratified it.
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