The United Nations member states are serious about tackling cybersecurity threats, adopting “the first global legally binding instrument on cybercrime.”

UN member states negotiated on the draft convention text for the last three years, before finally coming to an agreement on August 9, 2024. The UN says the convention is the culmination of five years of work, including getting input from academics, civil society, and the private sector.

“The finalization of this Convention is a landmark step as the first multilateral anti-crime treaty in over 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 a strong representative of women diplomats, for guiding negotiations and reaching consensus on the final text. UNODC is 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 assisting in 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.”

The convention is designed to help law enforcement agencies by fostering greater international cooperation, paving the way for technical assistance, and improve the necessary computing capacity needed to fight cybercrime.

The full draft convention can be found here.