Qatar expressed yesterday its deep concern over the growing threat of transnational organised crime, with cybercrimes taking unprecedented forms that now threaten peace, stability, and prosperity of societies and countries.
This came in the speech of Adviser to the Minister of the Interior, Major General Dr Abdullah Youssef al-Mal, who is also chairing Qatar’s delegation participating in the 9th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime, in Vienna.
Major General al-Mal said that Cyberspace was no longer just a part of the activities of transnational organised crime and its associated crimes, but rather its use of digital piracy now can threaten the security of states and trigger crises, such as the one Qatar is suffering from.
He stressed the importance of regulating cyberspace internationally due to its nature of operation, praising the role of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in that regard, which offers technical help to enhance the cyber networks and infrastructure of countries.
He also noted that the Convention against Transnational Organised Crime provides a broad range of measures for international co-operation and technical assistance and to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of cybercrime investigations and prosecution.
Qatar called on member-countries to offer support to UNDOC in its mission.
He said Qatar welcomes the establishment of a UN unit for combating cybercrime, adding that the country pledges to support such a unit in achieving its goals, in addition to welcoming a work plan for 2018-2021 for a technical team that can conduct a comprehensive study of cybercrime.
He referenced the speech of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani at the UN General Assembly on September 25, in which he called for an international conference that looks into regulating this issue, expressing Qatar’s willingness to host such a conference.
Al-Mal stressed the importance of uniting international efforts to achieve security and sustainable development.
