As many around the world celebrated the start of the holiday season on Christmas Eve, representatives of the UN’s 193 Member States met in New York to celebrate the passage of the landmark Convention against Cybercrime. Adopted by consensus on Dec. 24, the historic convention comes after five years of intense negotiations and marks the first world treaty to fight cybercrime.
In welcoming these tough cybercrime measures, the U.S. Mission to the UN released the following statement, “The agreement expands the global fight against cybercrime, which is one of the most pervasive challenges of our time, affecting communities around the world… This convention provides additional tools for countries to work together, including through law enforcement cooperation, to address cybercrime, including protecting children.”
The treaty covers infractions such as online fraud and hacking to severe offenses like terrorism, human trafficking and drug smuggling. It also emphasizes prevention measures through training, awareness programs and technical support, particularly for developing nations. Capacity-building and enhanced international collaboration — including electronic evidence-sharing and legal assistance — are key to its implementation and foundational elements pushed by the U.S., which spearheaded many of the negotiations throughout the multi-year process.
As the first global treaty to specifically address technology-based sexual violence against children, the convention keeps justice for victims at its core, with a range of supports that include compensation, legal restitution and support services provided by Member States — criminalizing all forms of online sexual exploitation of children.
“This treaty is a demonstration of multilateralism succeeding during difficult times and reflects the collective will of Member States to promote international cooperation to prevent and combat cybercrime.”
António Guterres, UN Secretary-General
The Convention against Cybercrime will open for signature in 2025, and enter into force 90 days after being ratified by the 40th signatory.
A Year of Digital Progress — and Protection
This could not be a more fitting end to a year marked by major strides in digital security. In addition to the Convention on Cybercrime, world leaders forged the following:
Pact for the Future
Adopted at the UN Summit of the Future in September 2024, the Pact is an inter-governmentally negotiated roadmap to address global challenges by focusing on areas like sustainable development, peace and security, digital cooperation and global governance reform. With a particular emphasis on empowering future generations, it includes a Global Digital Compact and a Declaration on Future Generations.
Global Digital Compact
Among the most significant components of the Pact is the GDC, a framework for global governance of digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI). The compact aims to close digital divides and harness the potential of digital technology. It’s especially important because it tackles the space where technology meets human rights, ensuring that online advances don’t leave real people behind.
As technology continues to reshape the digital and physical world, there’s no question we’ll see greater emphasis on tech at the center of tomorrow’s global diplomatic challenges. In the meantime, we’re keeping an eye on how these digital declarations will be woven into the tests of today.
