Preventing and Combating Cybercrime in Southeast Asia
This initiative builds on cybercrime programs the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) delivered in East Africa and Central America with a focus on a new region – Southeast Asia. As before, this effort seeks to respond to the transnational nature of cybercrime in a holistic and sustainable manner.
Strengthen capacities to deter cybercrime
As cybercrime inflicts significant damage to national and economic security, law enforcement communities around the world grapple with the challenge of multilateral cooperation. High speed data exchange, the involvement of multiple providers, and the nuances necessary to apply traditional legal principles to the transnational and global nature of cybercrime are among the challenges. In particular, many developing nations, including some in Southeast Asia, lack the capabilities to prevent and combat cybercrime in a holistic and sustainable manner. Empowering law enforcement and judicial staff in this region with technical and policy tools to effectively investigate, prosecute and adjudicate criminal cases involving information and communications technologies will enhance the broader safety and security of our global networks.
Establish relations, gain assessments and provide assistance
The vision of the UNODC Global Programme on Cybercrime is to recruit and retain experienced staff to UNODC and deploy them in the programme regions as Cybercrime mentors who will work to aid and guide partners through the challenges of cybercrime investigation, prosecution and adjudication.
The UNDOC and its partners jointly develop and execute a basic cybercrime training course for Southeast Asian prosecutors and investigators, and trains judges and judicial staff from the region on cybercrime related issues. Advanced training is also provided in those jurisdictions with pre-existing trained and capable staff. UNODC conducts high-level open source information assessments of cybercrime response capabilities in Southeast Asia prior to the implementation of any regional training to identify and address specific needs of the region.
Existing GFCE members who already donate to the UNODC Global Programme on Cybercrime are welcome to participate in this initiative in order to improve and encourage knowledge sharing on cybercrime capacity building.
Expected outcomes
The program consists of four activity areas (capacity building, prevention, framework support, and cooperation), and two normative areas (development of technical assistance tools and underlying standards).
Primary outcomes:
- Increased efficiency and effectiveness in the investigation, prosecution and adjudication of cybercrime acts, leading to greater deterrence and just outcomes for suspected persons, in line with international human rights standards;
- Efficient and effective long-term whole-of-government response to cybercrime, including national coordinating mechanisms, and data collection systems, leading to a sustainable response and expected greater deterrence;
- Strengthened communication between government agencies in cybercrime matters, between law enforcement and private sector organizations, and in international cooperation, leading to increased efficiency and effectiveness of the crime prevention and criminal justice response
Desired outcomes in 2016 & 2017:
- Complete country assessments on law enforcement and legislative responses to cybercrimes
- Coordinate other cybercrime capacity building programs in the region
- Provide regional programs on cybercrime investigation and prosecution. Each program will be divided into two parts with separate courses for investigators and prosecutors. Each regional training program will be tailored to the needs of recipients, and could include the following topics: network forensics, mobile forensic investigation, evidence analysis, cybercrime prosecution skills, cybercrime unit development, international cooperation in cybercrime cases, and the effective handling of digital evidence.
- Provide a basic cybercrime case training workshop for judges and judicial staff from Southeast Asian nations. This regional training program will address the following topics: understanding the digital forensic process, digital evidence, common cybercrime related issues, criminal procedure issues typical in cybercrime cases, human rights protection, international cooperation issues, and sentencing.
- Recruit and retain a cybercrime mentor in SE Asia in order to deliver a long-term, strategic response from and within SE Asian partners.