INDIA expects that the landmark international treaty to fight cybercrime will be a very strong force to fight the threat through international cooperation, according to its delegate to the negotiations for the landmark pact. The 193 members of the world organisation reached a consensus for a comprehensive treaty to fight cybercrimes, ranging from terrorism and hacking to financial fraud and child porn after more than two years of negotiations. “We anticipate that this treaty will establish a very strong foundation for international cooperation, one that allows us to effectively combat cyber threats while respecting the sovereignty of each nation,” Arvinder Singh, India’s representative at the negotiations has said. Speaking at the concluding session of the negotiating committee on Friday, he said, “This will act as a strong deterrent against the cyber criminals who exploit the boundaries of nations while committing cyber crimes.”

 

The negotiators for the landmark treaty reached their agreement on Thursday and the draft will go before the General Assembly where its passage is assured. It will come into force when 40 countries have signed it. “The finalisation of this Convention is a landmark step as the first multilateral anti-crime treaty in over 20 years and the first UN Convention against Cybercrime at a time when threats in cyberspace are growing rapidly,” said Ghada Waly, the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNDOC), which served as the Secretariat for the negotiations. The negotiating committee was set up under a 2019 General Assembly resolution.