New York – Information Office – 02 March
The State of Qatar has expressed its strong support for developing a comprehensive international agreement to confront cybercrime, stressing that it gives a high priority to the development of a comprehensive international agreement on combating the use of information and communication technologies for criminal purposes.
This came in a statement made by HE Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani before the "First Session of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Elaboration of a Comprehensive International Convention on Combating the Use of Information and Communication Technologies for Criminal Purposes".
The statement reviewed the contributions of the State of Qatar in this field, as it contributed to several efforts, most notably hosting the Thirteenth Congress on Crime Prevention in 2015, which issued the Doha Declaration. It called for exploring measures aimed at providing a safe and solid cyber environment and for preventing and combating criminal activities carried out via the Internet. It also called for a study of available options to strengthen legal and other measures currently taken at the national and international levels to confront cybercrime, and to propose new measures for this purpose.
The statement stressed the State of Qatar's endeavor to make every effort to reach a comprehensive agreement that builds on the successes achieved, represented by the relevant regional international instruments and the national legislation of countries, and enhances cooperation and coordination between member states to combat the use of information and communication technologies for criminal purposes.
Regarding the scope, objectives and structure of the agreement, the State of Qatar presented three proposals in its statement.
Firstly, the adjective (comprehensive international agreement) means that it will not exclude from its procedures any criminal act that uses communication and information technology, and that it takes into account the existing international instruments and the outcomes of the team of experts studying cybercrime and the efforts currently being made at the national, regional and international levels. It emphasizes the importance of protecting critical infrastructure, promoting building and raising national and international capacities, as well as raising awareness among individuals and societies in combating the use of information and communication technologies for criminal purposes and prosecuting perpetrators, responding to the concerns of all countries, and contributing to strengthening the capabilities of developing countries to maintain their digital security, and contribute strongly in creating a secure international digital environment for the purpose of promoting peace and security in the world.
Secondly, with regard to the framework of the agreement, the State of Qatar believes that it includes existing crimes and emerging crimes. The convention promotes international cooperation in combating digital space crimes and monitoring and prosecuting the perpetrators of these crimes, and does not detract from the sovereignty and jurisdiction of states over their territories. It stresses the importance of respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms in the use of information and communication technologies. Its chapters include the definition of crime, criminalization, international cooperation and technical assistance.
Thirdly, the State of Qatar stressed the importance of the role of stakeholders, expressing its belief that they have a role that complements the role of states and contributes to the implementation of the provisions of the agreement in accordance with the mechanism of stakeholder participation in accordance with United Nations General Assembly Resolution 75/282.
The State of Qatar also expressed its confidence in the ability and efficiency of the committee in converging viewpoints and finding solutions to controversial issues, and urged the exploration of additional mechanisms to help expedite its work, stressing the readiness of the State of Qatar to actively participate in the work of the committee.
In this context, the State of Qatar has expressed its readiness to host seminars and workshops between sessions of the Ad Hoc Committee to discuss specific issues in the Convention that require a joint effort to bring the views closer together.
In order to facilitate access to common solutions and to ensure that the agreement is responsive to changes in the field of information and communication technologies, the State of Qatar has proposed the adoption of a preliminary agreement in this session, which establishes an agreement in which flexibility and the ability to continuously update its terms as required by developments.