Doha to house United Nations’ new regional centre for combating cybercrime

Qatar signed a supplementary agreement with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on Friday for the establishment of the ‘United Nations regional centre for combating cybercrime’ in Doha.

Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretary-General HE Dr Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi and UNODC Executive DirectorGhada Wali formalised the agreement in Vienna, Austria, at the United Nations headquarters.

Today our ED @GhadaFathiWaly signed an agreement with @MofaQatar_EN to establish a Regional Center on Combating Cybercrime in #Doha. We are ready to assist Member States in their struggle against cyber-related crimes through capacity building and technical assistance globally. pic.twitter.com/BuHd016Hmn

— UN Cyber (@UN__Cyber) June 9, 2023

Qatar’s Ambassador to Austria HE Sultan bin Salmeen Al Mansouri, who is also the country’s Permanent Representative to the UN and other international organisations in Vienna, also attended the signing ceremony.

The United Nations regional centre for combating cybercrime, which will be set up within the next two months in Doha, will cover activities in the Middle East and North Africa region.

The centre, if needed, will also help with capacity-building at the global level. It will provide training and capacity-building for specialists from the region, as well as developing nations, in the field of combating cybercrime.

The centre will also be involved in setting and planning policies and legislation to combat cybercrime and exchanging experiences and information on cybercrime variables at the national and international levels.

Signing of Supplementary Agreement to Establish UN Center Fighting Cybercrime in #Doha

To learn more: https://t.co/B0E07bijeB#MOFAQatar pic.twitter.com/IgORTFdGYO

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Qatar (@MofaQatar_EN) June 9, 2023

The centre’s setting up comes at a time when the world is waking up to the importance of combating cybercrime, the dangers of which have increased in recent years.

Cybercrimes often have links to organised crime, drug trafficking, and money laundering, and pose threats to the infrastructure, security and safety of states.

It prompted the UN to start negotiating for a comprehensive international agreement in combating the use of information and communication technologies for criminal purposes, which is expected to be finished next year.

The centre’s launch came about as a result of Qatar’s support for international efforts to confront cybercrime in all its forms and names.

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