Emphasizing the importance of multistakeholder contributions in the implementation of the UN Cybercrime Convention

Emphasizing the importance of multistakeholder contributions in the implementation of the UN Cybercrime Convention

Room: R202

Time: 12:30 to 13:30, 25 October 2025

Organizer: UNODC

Side Event Description: The United Nations Convention on Cybercrime recognizes the essential role of civil society and non-governmental stakeholders in the effective implementation of its provisions. Through its preamble, as well as Articles 53, 54, 55, 56 and 57, it highlights the importance of multi-stakeholder collaboration in key areas such as victim protection, prevention, technical assistance, implementation, information exchange, and monitoring.

In the context of the Signing Ceremony of the UN Cybercrime Convention, this side event, co-organized by the UNODC Civil Society Unit and the Alliance of NGOs for Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (in close partnership with relevant stakeholders of the Cybercrime Stakeholder Engagement initiative), aims to highlight the central role multi-stakeholder collaboration for the effective implementation of the Convention.

Over the past years, the UNODC Civil Society Unit and the Alliance of NGOs for Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice have been promoting, through the Stakeholder Engagement Initiative on Cybercrime, the participation of relevant stakeholders and entities outside the public sector in the work of the Ad Hoc Committee (AHC) to Elaborate a Comprehensive International Convention on Countering the use of Information and Communication Technologies for Criminal Purposes. This effort included organizing regional consultations on cybercrime to encourage constructive dialogue with non-governmental actors from the very first stages of the process.

Meanwhile, the publication of a report entitled “Public-Private Partnerships on Cybercrime: Regional perspectives on best practices, challenges and opportunities from the Americas, Africa and Asia” and the organization of a side event during the 33rd session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ) on the theme “Fostering Joint Stakeholder Actions Against Cybercrime Through Inclusive Partnerships”, helped to strengthen the exchange of best practices, support the development of common tools and discuss concrete models of multi-stakeholder collaboration. 

These efforts have already yielded concrete results, including the launch of the first public-private partnership alliance dedicated to combating the non-consensual sharing of intimate images (NCII) in the Dominican Republic. Similar initiatives are currently being developed in Nigeria and Pakistan, in close collaboration between the Global Programme on Cybercrime, the Civil Society Unit and relevant field offices.

This side event will provide an opportunity for collective reflection and experience sharing, inviting States Parties to fully integrate the inclusive spirit of the Convention into their ratification and implementation processes. It will also aim to strengthen cooperation between governments, civil society, the private sector, and academic institutions to develop joint effective and human rights-compliant responses to the challenges posed by cybercrime.

Panel discussion: Towards Public-Private Partnerships to support the collaborative implementation of the UN Cybercrime Convention

The panel will explore how entities outside the public sector can actively support Member States in ensuring effective, participatory and sustainable implementation of the UN Cybercrime Convention. This will include reflection on mechanisms for multisectoral collaboration and public-private partnerships, transparency in national processes, and adaptation of strategies to local contexts to strengthen victim protection, prevention, information exchange, technical assistance and monitoring. 

Q/A session – Open floor for contributions.

Proposed Panel: 

Moderator: UNODC Civil Society Unit  (Anders Frantzen)

Speakers:

• – United States / INL opening remarks (Patt Prugh / Alejandro Garcia, TBC)
• – Alliance of NGOS on Crime Prevention, Working Group on Cybercrime (Ian Tennant, Chair)
• – Private sector: Google (Nima Binara)
• – Inputs from regional NGOs: Center for Human Rights, Pakistan (Sevim Saadat, Co- Founder)

• – EU Institute for Security Studies (tentatively confirmed, but timing clashing with their event)

Expected Participants: 36-70 people