Ref: 2025/PR/323
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Abdulla Khaleel, on behalf of the Maldives, today signed the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime at the signing ceremony held in Hanoi, Viet Nam.
At the high-level plenary following the signing ceremony, Foreign Minister Dr. Khaleel underlined that the Convention is integral to the Maldives’ national digital strategy. He highlighted the Government’s target for the digital economy to contribute 15% of GDP by 2030, the “Maldives 2.0” transformation to build a transparent, efficient and citizen-centric digital ecosystem, and the establishment of the National Cyber Security Agency to protect citizens, critical infrastructure and the economy.
The Minister further noted that Small Island Developing States (SIDS) face disproportional cyber risks due to constrained resources and limited technical capacity but stressed that these challenges will not limit the country’s ambitions. By signing the Convention, Foreign Minister Dr Khaleel stated that the Maldives commits to preventing and combating cybercrime, criminalising offences in line with international standards, and strengthening cooperation with partners on investigation and prosecution, leveraging the Convention’s frameworks for cooperation, technical assistance, training and information-sharing.
Adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 24 December 2024, the UN Convention against Cybercrime seeks to strengthen international cooperation to prevent and combat cybercrime by harmonising national laws, facilitating evidence-sharing, and supporting capacity building through the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
ENDS