New chapter in international cooperation against cybercrime
On December 24, 2024 in New York, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime. According to Article 64 of the Convention, the Convention will be opened for signature in Hanoi in 2025 and the Convention will be called the “Hanoi Convention”.
Speaking to the press, Party Central Committee member, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son said that this is a worthy achievement after nearly 5 years of tireless negotiations between Vietnam and other UN member countries.
As the first document on transnational crime adopted within the framework of the United Nations in 20 years, this Convention opens a new chapter in cooperation between countries with many important implications.
Firstly, the Convention creates the first global legal framework for cyberspace, affirming the need for the participation of all countries in preventing and combating cybercrime, contributing to narrowing the differences between national laws, establishing a dedicated 24/7 cooperation mechanism, thereby promoting more effective cross-border crime prevention cooperation, and facilitating countries' digital transformation efforts.
Second, the Convention not only reflects the views and interests of developed countries but also reflects the views and interests of developing countries like Vietnam, which are disadvantaged in global technology governance.
Third, the Convention affirms the central role of the United Nations in coordinating the international community’s collective efforts to respond to cybercrime, a pressing issue today. The Convention’s birth could become a model for future international frameworks on digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) governance.
Vietnam's new milestone in international legal integration
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son said that from the beginning, Vietnam has been interested in and supported the initiation of negotiations on the Convention and has persistently promoted the building of an international legal framework on cyberspace on the basis of fundamental principles of international law.
Throughout the eight sessions of the Specialized Committee, Vietnam has always participated actively, proactively and made substantial contributions to the content of the Convention, which has been trusted and highly appreciated by the United Nations and its partners throughout the entire process. Therefore, when proposing to become the host country to host the signing ceremony of this historic Convention in 2025, Vietnam has received positive and widespread support from international friends.
This will be the first time Vietnam has hosted the signing ceremony of a United Nations Convention, once again affirming the strong commitment of the Party and State in international cooperation in preventing and combating transnational crimes, raising people's awareness and prevention capacity against cybercrime.
This event also affirms Vietnam's consistent stance of upholding international law, advocating proactive participation and active contribution to the common work of the United Nations to solve global issues, in which crime is always a threat to the security, economy and social stability of countries around the world, especially in the Asia-Pacific region.
With the United Nations members unanimously choosing Hanoi as the venue for the Convention Signing Ceremony, from now on the name Hanoi will be associated with an important international legal document to address one of the challenges of the 21st century.
This is the basis for Vietnam to continue to actively contribute to the implementation of the Convention, contributing to shaping the global cyberspace governance framework for a safe, cooperative and inclusive digital future in the coming time. This is extremely important when many countries, including Vietnam, are promoting digital transformation associated with ensuring security and safety to make a breakthrough in the new era.
