Russia-proposed UN Ad Hoc Committee discusses 3-year resolution for countering cybercrime

At a time when the United Nations General Assembly has debated a resolution demanding Russia's withdrawal from Ukraine, in another bid, countries have been making an attempt to put a stop to the criminal use of the internet in a fight against cybercrime. Concerning the same, the first session of the UN Ad Hoc Committee on drafting a comprehensive convention on countering cybercrime was concluded on March 11, 2022. The session which was convened on February 28, 2022, was chaired by Faouzia Mebarki of Algeria, and was established at Russia's initiative with 46 co-authors by UN General Assembly Resolution 74/247. 

As stated by the global body, the community intends to create the first legally binding document on combating cybercrime on a global basis. The opening two-week session in New York was earlier scheduled to begin in January but was delayed due to the pandemic situation and was now conducted in a hybrid format. It was attended by experts from over 160 states and 200 NGOs who represented various political and law enforcement agencies followed by academic, scientific, and business communities. 

Notably, the opening address on the Ad Hoc Committee emphasised Russia's major role in creating a negotiating venue and further for setting a constructive tone for professional discussions with a view to drafting the long-needed convention in full conformity with the UNGA. Following this, the committee also reviewed the scope and goals of the convention while an eight-chapter format was approved by consensus. 

Second session is scheduled for May-June 2022

Meanwhile, the attendees participated in an extensive exchange of views on various key elements of the convention. Some of the major issues discussed during the first session included protection of sovereignty, jurisdiction, development of universal definitions, stronger international cooperation in identifying cross-border crime, technical assistance, and personnel training.

With this, the final result of the session was the beginning of full-scale practical work on a universal convention for creating an internationally agreed-upon convention on cybercrime for three years. As the participants agreed on the modalities of the Ad Hoc Committee’s work in 2022-2024, the second session has been scheduled for May 30 - June 10, 2022, in Vienna.

Image: UN.ORG