• 72 countries sign UN Cybercrime Convention in Hanoi
• Treaty aims to boost global cooperation, evidence sharing
• Critics warn of weak safeguards, potential for misuse

The United Nations Convention on Cybercrime garnered 72 signatures in Hanoi, Vietnam, over the weekend of Saturday, Oct. 25, and Sunday, Oct. 26, at a dedicated signing event. The final list provided by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) shows that 21 African nations were among the initial signatories.

The African states that signed include Algeria, Angola, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Djibouti, Egypt, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Libya, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Togo, Uganda, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Mali, and Rwanda.

The UNODC stated that the Convention aims to "make the prevention and response to cybercrime more effective by strengthening international cooperation, technical assistance and capacity building, particularly for developing countries."

The treaty is intended to be the first global framework for the collection, sharing, and use of electronic evidence in serious criminal cases. It criminalizes various cyberspace offenses, including online fraud, the distribution of child sexual abuse material, online child solicitation for sexual purposes, and the non-consensual dissemination of intimate images. The Convention also provides for the creation of a global, 24/7 cooperation network to facilitate exchanges between states and strengthen national capacity against rapidly evolving cybercrime.

The agreement supplements existing international frameworks such as the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime and the African Union Convention on Cybersecurity and Personal Data Protection (the Malabo Convention), both already adopted by several African nations alongside their domestic laws.

In a June 2025 report, Interpol noted that cyberattacks are intensifying in Africa amid rapid digital transformation, marked by increased connectivity and the massive adoption of technologies like mobile banking and e-commerce. The organization estimates that cybersecurity incidents on the continent resulted in financial losses exceeding $3 billion between 2019 and 2025. Globally, U.N.-cited data shows damages from cybercrime reached $9.5 trillion in 2024 alone.

Despite the numerous signatures, the Hanoi Convention has not yet entered into force. It will only take effect after ratification by at least 40 countries. “Now we must turn signatures into action. The Convention must be ratified quickly, implemented fully, and supported with funding, training, and technology – especially for developing countries," said U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres at the signing ceremony.

The text has generated opposition, according to international media reports, with a dozen human rights organizations criticizing weak safeguards. They argue the treaty creates a legal mechanism for monitoring, storing, and exchanging information between countries. Separately, several technology groups, including Meta and Dell, have warned of the risk of the framework being misused to criminalize cybersecurity researchers or suppress conduct that some states might deem offensive.

Isaac K. Kassouwi