Vietnam calls on UN member states to accelerate signing and ratification of United Nations Convention against Cybercrime: Deputy FM
WVR - Starting from September 26, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Anh Tuan, who led the Vietnamese delegation comprising representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Defense, Public Security, Justice, the Supreme People's Procuracy, and the Vietnamese Embassy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE)), attended the 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Latest
 |
| Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Anh Tuan. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
Within the framework of the Congress, the Vietnamese delegation participated and delivered speeches at the High-Level Session, co-chaired a high-level event with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on the implementation of the Hanoi Convention, and engaged in numerous bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Congress.
On September 27, speaking at the High-Level Session, Deputy Minister Le Anh Tuan emphasised the commitment of the Vietnamese Government to actively implement the Abu Dhabi Declaration, translating the Congress's commitments into concrete actions at national, regional, and international levels.
Sharing Vietnam's efforts, the Deputy Minister stressed that Vietnam is continuously improving its institutions and criminal justice laws, including amending and supplementing the Penal Code, enacting new laws on extradition, mutual legal assistance, and completing the legal framework for international cooperation in crime prevention; simultaneously implementing comprehensive measures to prevent, detect, and handle organized transnational crime, drug trafficking, human trafficking, corruption, money laundering, high-tech crime, and cybercrime.
Emphasising that “crime does not stop at national borders, and efforts to combat crime cannot stop at national borders either,” the head of the Vietnamese delegation affirmed that international cooperation is not an option but an essential requirement in combating transnational crime. Cooperation should be conducted based on international law and the United Nations Charter, respecting sovereignty, equality among nations, while also supporting developing countries in bridging the gap in law enforcement and criminal justice capabilities.
A focal point of the Vietnamese delegation's activities at the Congress is to promote the early entry into force and effective implementation of the Hanoi Convention. On September 26, Vietnam and UNODC co-chaired a high-level event themed “From Signing to Implementation of the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime,” following the success of the Convention's signing ceremony in Hanoi in October 2025.
Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister Le Anh Tuan called on countries to maintain the political momentum generated from the signing ceremony in Hanoi, expedite the process of signing, ratifying, accepting, or acceding to the Convention. Simultaneously, Vietnam emphasised that ratification must be accompanied by preparations for implementation, especially in areas of criminalization, procedural measures, electronic evidence, and international cooperation; and urged UNODC to continue playing a central role in supporting countries, particularly developing ones, in reviewing legislation, domesticating the Convention, providing technical support, and capacity building.
The Deputy Minister particularly mentioned the initiative to establish a UNODC Centre for Cybercrime Prevention in the Asia-Pacific region located in Vietnam, which is being actively promoted by both parties as a highlight of international cooperation in combating cybercrime.
On the sidelines of the Congress, the head of the Vietnamese delegation held meetings with the President of the Congress, the UAE Minister of Justice, the Executive Director of UNODC, and the heads of delegations from participating countries to discuss enhancing international cooperation in criminal justice, especially in combating transnational crime and cybercrime in the digital era. In discussions with Monica Juma, Executive Director of UNODC, Deputy Minister Le Anh Tuan once again affirmed the Vietnamese Government's commitment to working with UNODC to promote countries to sign, ratify, and bring the Hanoi Convention into effect soon.
The activities of the Vietnamese delegation at the Congress continue to demonstrate Vietnam's proactive, positive, and responsible approach in international cooperation on crime prevention, linking participation in the development of international legal frameworks with the substantive implementation of commitments at national and regional levels. In the context of digital technology rapidly changing the methods and scope of criminal activities, Vietnam reaffirms its commitment to closely collaborate with the United Nations, UNODC, and member states to bring the Hanoi Convention and other international legal instruments into practice, contributing to building a safe, fair, and law-abiding international environment.
The United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice is one of the largest and oldest UN conferences, with extensive participation from high-level leaders of UN member states, policymakers, academics, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice since 1955. The Congress is held every five years and plays a significant role in shaping the field of crime prevention and criminal justice, influencing national and international policy and practice.
The 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice is being held from September 26 to October 1 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, with the theme “Advancing Crime Prevention, Criminal Justice, and the Rule of Law: Towards Achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the Digital Age.”
