UN approves its first comprehensive convention on cybercrime

The treaty will be presented to the General Assembly for formal adoption and will come into effect once ratified by 40 member countries.
Closeup shot of the waving flag of the United Nations with interesting textures

On 8 August, UN member states approved a groundbreaking comprehensive treaty to address cybercrime, marking the organization’s first-ever agreement on the issue. Following three years of negotiations in the Ad-Hoc Committee (AHC) and a concluding two-week session in New York, the United Nations Convention Against Cybercrime was approved by consensus. The treaty will now be presented to the General Assembly for formal adoption.

The negotiation process was initiated in 2017 by Russia, despite initial resistance from the United States and European nations. The adoption of the convention also comes despite significant opposition from human rights groups and technology companies, who have expressed concerns over potential risks of increased surveillance.

The treaty is set to take effect once ratified by 40 member countries, and establishes ‘a global criminal justice policy,” to protect society against cybercrime by ‘fostering international cooperation’.