I welcome the participants of the first substantive session of the UN Special Committee on the Development of a Comprehensive international convention on countering the Use of Information and Communication Technologies for Criminal Purposes.
The establishment of a Special Committee to develop such an international legal instrument was the dictate of the time. Crime in the information space is truly global in nature. The world community is facing a real “cyberpandemia”. “Cybercriminals” are capable of causing serious damage to the economic activity of states, the well-being of millions of people. The numbers speak for themselves. If in 2018, according to the estimates of the UN Secretary General A.Gutteres, the annual damage amounted to 1.5 trillion dollars, then by 2025 this figure could reach 9 trillion.
The situation is seriously complicated by the imperfection of national legislation and an insufficiently effective system of international cooperation in this area. The existing tools were created 10-20 years ago and objectively do not keep up with the activities of the “cybercriminal”. Especially when the specifics of such crimes are that they are mostly committed remotely, including from the territory of other countries.
It is obvious that no State is capable of dealing with this problem alone. It is necessary to combine international efforts with the central coordinating role of the UN. Based on this, Russia was the first to raise the issue of developing a comprehensive convention on the UN platform focused on combating crimes in the use of information and communication technologies.
We note with satisfaction the consensus reached during the adoption of the UN General Assembly resolution 75/282, which defined the procedure for the practical work of the Special Committee, which was created to prepare a future international treaty.
This large-scale task is quite feasible in the two years allotted for its solution. The world community has experience in creating such universal anti-criminal tools. The key to success is the rejection of politicized approaches and block discipline, pragmatism and focus on results.
Russia, as the initiator of the whole process, contributed to the work of the Special Committee already at the very initial stage of its activity, having prepared a full-format draft convention. It reflects many norms that have already been approved within the relevant sections of international law. There is a balance between practical tasks and respect for the principles of sovereignty of States, non-interference in their internal affairs and protection of human rights. Special attention should be paid to the provisions of the project dedicated to providing technical assistance to developing countries, building up their technological potential.
I would like to emphasize that our goal is to balance the system of multilateral cooperation, make it universal and more effective, strengthening the capabilities of all States without exception in the fight against crime in the field of information and communication technologies.
I wish the Chairman of the Special Committee and all its participants fruitful discussions and all the best.
