65 NATIONS SIGN UN CYBERCRIME CONVENTION IN HANOI, HAIL LANDMARK STEP FOR DIGITAL SECURITY

NEW YORK, Oct 26 (Bernama-WAM) -- Sixty-five nations have signed a landmark United Nations (UN) treaty in Hanoi aimed at tackling cybercrime, a move hailed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as a historic step toward a safer digital world, Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.

Adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2024 after five years of negotiation, the Convention against Cybercrime establishes the first universal framework for investigating and prosecuting online offences, including ransomware, financial fraud and the non-consensual sharing of intimate images.

The signing ceremony, hosted by Vietnam in collaboration with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), drew senior officials, diplomats and cybersecurity experts from around the world.

The new treaty criminalises a broad range of cyber-related offences, enables the sharing of electronic evidence across borders, and establishes a 24/7 cooperation network among states.

It is also the first international agreement to recognise the non-consensual dissemination of intimate images as a criminal offence -- a major victory for victims of online abuse. The convention will take effect 90 days after the 40th state deposits its ratification.

“The UN Cybercrime Convention is a powerful, legally binding instrument to strengthen our collective defences against cybercrime,” Guterres said at the signing ceremony on Saturday.

He described the treaty as “a testament to the continued power of multilateralism” and “a vow that no country, regardless of its level of development, will be left defenceless against cybercrime.”

Guterres noted that while technology has delivered extraordinary progress, it has also created new vulnerabilities.

“Every day, sophisticated scams defraud families, steal livelihoods and drain billions of dollars from our economies,” he said. “In cyberspace, nobody is safe until everybody is safe.”

He stressed that the convention provides a global standard for handling electronic evidence and will enhance cooperation between law enforcement agencies while safeguarding privacy and human rights.

Global cybercrime costs are projected to reach US$10.5 trillion annually by 2025, underlining the urgency of the new framework. For many developing nations, particularly in the Global South, the convention opens access to training, technical support and real-time cooperation.

“Let us seize this moment,” Guterres said. “Let us build a cyberspace that respects everyone’s dignity and human rights, and ensure that the digital age delivers peace, security and prosperity for all.”

-- BERNAMA-WAM