Topic:
Country: Belarus
Delegate Name: Celina Du
The issue of cybercrime is urgent and needs to be addressed. The repercussions of increasing cybercrime in our country have been devastating. Recently there have been cases of elderly losing all of their retirement funds due to hackers. In addition, the security measures taken in an attempt to combat the cyber criminals’ undermining of bank accounts and personal data has become inconvenient. The government is willing to make safe internet usage for our citizens by securing procedures such as severe punishment for cybercriminals, or installing programs that reduce the risk of becoming hacked.
The number of cybercrimes has gone up by ten times in the last five years. Studies show that cybercrimes account for 25% of all crimes. We have cooperated with the US FBI to arrest these cybercriminals. This has helped us immensely in tracking threats of cybercriminals. In addition, we have improved our counteraction with Russia.
There has been no general requirement in Belarus to warn the government of any cybercrimes, this is perhaps one of the reasons for the surge of cybercrimes. With no organized system of dealing with cybercrimes, they can permeate a whole population. Belarus has already passed the information protection system however. Additionally, the Law on Protection of Personal Data (PDP law) has gone into effect.
The UN has ratified a resolution called the “Global Comprehensive Treaty”, which will replace the European council Budapest Convention, a national cybercrime legislation adopted by 64 countries. The new proposal will establish a “committee of experts”, as well as development of cyber norms. It calls for an “open, free, and secure” internet. Belarus is strongly in favor of this as it highly values the safety of the internet for its citizens to use. In addition, the 2004 Budapest Convention is severely outdated, and also violates state sovereignty. The new plan will meet the standards appropriate for current times. Negotiations will onstart January of next year.
Besides the “Global Comprehensive Treaty,” the UNODC and the AD HOC Committee have been enacted by the UN. The UNODC forms upon specialized expertise providing assistance in capacity building, prevention / raising awareness, international cooperation, data collection, research / analysis on the subject of cybercrime. The AD HOC Committee, established by a GA resolution, calls for representative experts from different countries to establish a “comprehensive international convention” fighting against cybercrime. Belarus strongly supports the efforts to combat cybercrime, and it works to expand them to a larger scale.
For the best interest of the citizens, Belarus declares action taken regarding the rise in cybercrimes. We advise the precautionary measures to be conducted at a global level, so each country can keep criminals in check. We believe that cyber security, being safe online, is a right every internet user should have. Any countries who treasure internet safety for its citizens, as well as those who want to protect their citizen’s private data, should agree. Small countries who are at risk of becoming cyber attacked by large, powerful countries should definitely also agree.
