Venezuela has officially signed the United Nations Cybercrime Convention, which was introduced in Hanoi. This significant event took place with the presence of UN Secretary-General António Guterres. As of now, more than 60 countries, including Brazil, Cuba, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Ecuador, and Uruguay, have endorsed the convention, with expectations for additional signatories to join soon.
During the signing ceremony, Guterres emphasized that “the convention is a powerful and legally binding instrument to strengthen our collective defenses against cybercrime.” This convention, comprising nine chapters and 71 articles, addresses crucial issues such as online child abuse and money laundering. It marks the first official UN convention linked to a city in Vietnam, particularly at a time when cybercrime, especially digital fraud, is on the rise in Southeast Asia.
Guterres highlighted the importance of multilateralism in providing solutions, stating, “No country, regardless of its level of development, will be left defenseless against cybercrime.” The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has previously identified Southeast Asia as a hotspot for online scams, particularly in regions like Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia.
“Cybercrime is transforming the landscape of organized crime as we know it. The new convention provides Member States with an essential tool to confront it together,” asserted Ghada Waly, the Executive Director of UNODC. This document, the result of a five-year negotiation process, is the first global agreement of its kind and will establish a framework for the collection and exchange of digital evidence, which is vital for prosecuting transnational criminals operating across multiple jurisdictions.
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