Press release on the approval of a draft international convention on combating cybercrime by the United Nations
On August 9 in New York, the UN Ad Hoc Committee to Elaborate a Comprehensive International Convention on Countering the Use of Information and Communications Technologies for Criminal Purposes, chaired by Algeria, concluded the negotiations that began in February 2022 and led to an approval of a draft comprehensive treaty.
This mechanism was established by UN General Assembly Resolution 74/247 in 2019. It was initiated by the Russian Federation and co-sponsored by 46 states. The committee’s task was to develop the first ever international instrument to combat ICT crime. Throughout the process, Russia has acted as the inspirer and leader of the negotiations.
The Ad Hoc Committee held eight sessions, which were attended by experts from more than 160 UN member states representing political and law enforcement bodies. Representatives of the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Investigative Committee, the Ministry of the Interior, the Federal Security Service, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Digital Development took an active part in the work of the Russian delegation led by the Foreign Ministry.
The document, developed and approved in a tense international situation, was submitted for approval by the 79th session of the UN General Assembly. The agreement will create a legal framework for establishing and building up cooperation between law enforcement agencies of the member states in the field of combating information crime. It will establish a 24/7 network of national contact centres to assist in the prevention, suppression, and investigation of unlawful acts, including the exchange of digital evidence.
The Convention is aimed at implementing the key principles enshrined in the UN Charter, primarily the sovereign equality of states and non-interference in other countries’ internal affairs, through building up international cooperation between competent agencies in the cyberspace, improving the mechanisms for and expanding the scope of such interaction.