Page 29 - Coespu Magazine 2018-2

drug trafficking, confront the use of the darknet for criminal and terrorist purposes, and
improve data collection to better address threats.
A critical foundation for all our efforts is international cooperation. Our work – which is
entirely funded by donor governments – has
shown that despite political differences,
countries can and do come together to counter
the threats of cybercrime.
We are also strengthening international
cooperation through the Intergovernmental
Expert Group, which meets at UNODC
headquarters in Vienna.
Established by General Assembly resolution,
the Expert Group brings together diplomats,
policy makers and experts from around the
globe to discuss the most pressing challenges in
cybercrime today. These meetings demonstrate
the desire and willingness of governments to
pursue pragmatic cooperation, which can only
help to improve prevention and foster trust.
As a next step, we need to reinforce these
efforts, including by providing more resources
to support developing countries, which often
have the most new Internet users and the
weakest defences against cybercrime.
Tech companies are an indispensable ally in the fight against cybercrime. We need to
increase public-private sector engagement to address common concerns like improving
education and clamping down on online abuse material.
Countering cybercrime can save lives, grow prosperity and build peace. By strengthening law
enforcement capacities and partnering with businesses so they can be part of the solution, we
can go a long way in ensuring that the Internet can be a force for good.

Written by:

Mr. Yury FEDOTOV
Executive Director of the United Nations
Office on Drugs and Crime

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