The Global Programme on Cybercrime is an initiative by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) designed to respond flexibly to the needs identified in Member States to prevent and combat cybercrime in a holistic manner. It provides technical support in crime prevention and criminal justice based on UNODC’s assessment protocols and technical assistance tools. The Global Programme on Cybercrime support to Member States is based on four pillars: (a) capacity building; (b) regulatory framework; (c) cooperation; and (d) prevention.
The UNODC Global Programme on Cybercrime was established in 2013 to assist Member States in their struggle against cyber-related crimes through capacity building and technical assistance according to General Assembly resolution 65/230 (2011) and the resolutions 22/7 and 22/8 of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.
- During 2023, under the capacity building pillar, UNODC has enhanced the skills, knowledge and abilities of 6618 criminal justice practitioners. First responders, investigators, prosecutors, digital forensics experts, and judges received advice, mentoring, and training in darknet investigations, special investigative techniques, legal standards, digital forensics, digital evidence, cryptocurrencies, malware and ransomware, and online child sexual abuse and exploitation, among others. Furthermore, in 2023, UNODC and the State of Qatar established the “UNODC Regional Centre for Combatting Cybercrime in Doha”. The centre provides training activities in different areas, as well as mentoring and research, having a focus in the MENA region, and beyond.
- Under the regulatory framework pillar, the Programme supported Kazakhstan in integrating cybercrime risk management and criminal justice responses in relation to cryptocurrency-enabled crimes. In Central America, the Programme developed cyber investigation SOPs for the police of Honduras and Guatemala, and the prosecution office of Honduras. In addition, the Programme launched an e-learning course on cybercrime directed to delegates participating at the “Ad Hoc Committee to Elaborate a Comprehensive International Convention on Countering the Use of Information and Communications Technologies for Criminal Purposes”.
- UNODC also promotes international and inter-agency cooperation. The Programme and INTERPOL developed a regional task force on vulnerable victims for Latin America that led to the identification of 39 victims of CSAM and 35 suspects, leading to a coordinated international action to disrupt networks and protect their victims. The Programme also supported specialized investigation units to gain access to the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) case management tool (CMT), provided P2P software (ICACOPS and CPS) and other specialized hard and software. In Southeast Asia, the Programme signed a cooperation agreement with the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) of the Philippines. As a result of UNODC support, national authorities implemented a multinational police operation that led to the rescue of over 2,700 victims from at least 17 countries, marking the largest raid of its kind in the Philippines.
- Under the prevention pillar, UNODC provides awareness-raising initiatives focusing on vulnerable groups (children, women, people with disabilities, and the elderly), sensitizing over 49,000 beneficiaries and engaging 376,690 children in cybercrime prevention activities. In Africa, together with the Internet Watch Foundation, launched “Safer Children Online” and developed 2 campaigns to prevent and report CSAM in Senegal and Ghana that included a reporting mechanism reaching 32,526 individuals.
Through its Global Programme on Cybercrime, UNODC has continued support to Member States in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and West Africa, increasing the knowledge and capabilities of 546 individuals from 31 Member States to disrupt, investigate, and prosecute online drug trafficking. Through specialized capacity-building and mentoring, criminal justice practitioners enhanced their skills of cyber investigations in the clear and darknets, by means of effective digital forensic techniques and management of digital evidence, with a special emphasis on techniques to exploit OSINT techniques and criminal analysis of virtual assets.
CAPACITY BUILDING
Strengthened institutional skills and capacities to prevent, disrupt, investigate, prosecute and adjudicate cybercrime according to human rights standards
COOPERATION
Strengthened inter-agency and international cooperation among all actors (state, private sector, civil society)
PREVENTION
Increased knowledge and raising awareness on cybercrime to mitigate risks
REGULATORY FRAMEWORK
Improved legal and operational frameworks leading to sustainable cybercrime responses
Bertha Nayelly Loya, Head of the Global Programme on Cybercrime, Bertha [dot] loya [at] un [dot] org (Bertha[dot]loya[at]un[dot]org)
Lourdes Gutierrez, Regional Coordinator for Central America and the Caribbean, Lourdes [dot] gutierrez [at] un [dot] org (Lourdes[dot]gutierrez[at]un[dot]org)
Mariana Kiefer, Regional Coordinator for South America, Mariana [dot] Kiefer [at] un [dot] org (Mariana[dot]Kiefer[at]un[dot]org)
Joshua James, Regional Coordinator for Southeast Asia, Joshua [dot] james [at] un [dot] org (Joshua[dot]james[at]un[dot]org)
