UNODC chief urges countries to ratify UN Cybercrime Convention
UNODC Executive Director Monica Juma has called on countries to ratify the UN Cybercrime Convention as digital technologies expand the scale and reach of criminal activity.
Technology is changing how criminal networks operate, allowing them to coordinate across borders, reach large numbers of victims and move illicit funds more quickly. Speaking ahead of the 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, UNODC Executive Director Monica Juma highlighted the growing role of technology in both cybercrime and other forms of organised crime.
Juma pointed to the convergence of activities including online fraud, scams, trafficking and the exploitation of legitimate financial and business systems. Digital platforms can also be used to recruit victims and distribute fraudulent information, while cybercrime-as-a-service allows criminal networks to access specialised capabilities without developing them internally.
According to Juma, encryption, anonymity, dark-web platforms and emerging technologies such as generative AI are further expanding the tools available to criminal and terrorist networks. This is also making the traditional distinction between cyber-dependent crime and crimes committed using digital technologies less clear.
Juma called for stronger cooperation between investigators, prosecutors, police and judicial authorities, including through intelligence sharing and forensic analysis. She noted that existing cooperation mechanisms do not yet allow information, evidence and expertise to move quickly enough across national and institutional boundaries.
Against this background, Juma urged countries to ratify the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime. Adopted by the General Assembly in December 2024, the Convention establishes a framework for addressing certain crimes committed through information and communications technology systems and for international cooperation, including the sharing of electronic evidence.
The Convention opened for signature in October 2025. As of 21 September 2026, 82 signatories and three parties are recorded in the UN Treaty Collection, while the Convention has not yet entered into force. It will require 40 instruments of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession before entering into force, followed by a 90-day period.
The Convention is also part of wider efforts to strengthen criminal justice cooperation around technology-enabled crime. The UN General Assembly has encouraged member states to sign and ratify it and to develop legal, institutional and operational frameworks for addressing cybercrime and criminal misuse of emerging technologies, while protecting human rights and fundamental freedoms.
