Vietnam engages in building of UN convention against cybercrimes
A Vietnamese delegation has attended the fourth session of the UN Ad Hoc Committee to Elaborate a Comprehensive International Convention on Countering the Use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) for Criminal Purposes.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Austria Nguyen Trung Kien (centre) and other members of the Vietnamese delegation to the fourth session of the UN Ad Hoc Committee (Source: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – A Vietnamese delegation hasattended the fourth session of the UN Ad Hoc Committee to Elaborate a Comprehensive InternationalConvention on Countering the Use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) for Criminal Purposes.
The delegation, led by Vietnamese Ambassador to AustriaNguyen Trung Kien, included representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of National Defence, and theMinistry of Justice.
Speaking on the opening day of the session, which lasted fromJanuary 9 to 20, the delegation highly valued efforts by the Secretariat of theAd Hoc Committee in building the first draft, which laid a solid foundation forthe next negotiations to soon finalise the draft convention and submit it tothe UN General Assembly for ratification.
The Vietnamese side also gave opinions about some parts ofthe draft such as the scope of the convention, offences against informationtechnology (IT) systems, IT-based scams, and individual criminalresponsibility.
In recent years, protecting cyber safety and security and combatingcybercrimes have become a crucial part in the security strategies of manycountries.
After 10 years of negotiations by inter-governmental workinggroups, in 2019, the UN General Assembly decided to set up the Ad Hoc Committeeto build an international convention for promoting international cooperationagainst ICT crimes. The committee establishment reflected the internationalcommunity’s concern about growing threats posed by ICT crimes, and also showedUN member states’ efforts to create the first international legal documentcovering this issue.
At the three sessions held in 2022, the Ad Hoc Committeeagreed on the negotiation roadmap and identified the structure and basiccontent of the future convention. Countries began discussing the draft indetail from the beginning of 2023.
The final draft is expected to be finalised by the end of2023 and submitted to the UN General Assembly for ratification in 2024./.
The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) has issued a plan to enhance the capacity of relevant agencies in supervision, inspection, handling of administrative violations and the prevention and combat of law violations and cyber crimes in the internet environment in Vietnam.
Minister of Public Security General To Lam met with Gunnar Wiegand, Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific at the European External Action Service (EEAS), in Hanoi on April 28, asking for further support from the EU in cyber security protection.
About 10,000 computer users in Vietnam are using unsafe operating systems, and nearly 3,000 internet protocol (IP) addresses have been linked with data leaks, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) said on September 26.
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Vietnamese Ambassador to Austria Nguyen Trung Kien (centre) and other members of the Vietnamese delegation to the fourth session of the UN Ad Hoc Committee (Source: VNA) 
