Sri Lanka has signed the historic United Nations Convention Against Cybercrime (UNCC) in Ha Noi, Viet Nam, joining the global community in combating cybercrime.

Following the approval by the Cabinet of Ministers for the proposal presented by the Ministry of Digital Economy along with the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment & Tourism and the Ministry of Justice and National Integration, Sri Lanka signed the UNCC, the Ministry of Digital Economy said in a statement.

The signing ceremony was graced by António Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations and H.E. Luong Cuong, the President of Viet Nam.

A total of 72 UN Member States and the European Union signed the Convention, the first-ever UN Convention of this nature, marking a historic milestone in international cooperation to ensure a safer, more secure, and trustworthy digital environment for all, according to the Ministry statement.

Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs & Crimes (UNODC) Ghada Fathi Waly, Ministers, officials and delegates representing 111 UN Member States attended the ceremony.

The Acting Secretary of the Ministry of Digital Economy and Head of the Delegation Waruna Sri Dhanapala signed the UNCC on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka and Maldives are the only South Asian countries that joined the UNCC.

Addressing the Plenary session on 26th October, Acting Secretary of the Ministry of Digital Economy Waruna Sri Dhanapala reiterated Sri Lanka’s fullest cooperation to the global community and readiness to collaborate with the United Nations system in implementing the UNCC supported by a strong domestic level mechanism aligning with the Digital Economy Blueprint and the National Cyber Protection Strategy of Sri Lanka (2025 2029).

Sri Lanka gained significant know-how after becoming the first state party in South Asia to join the Budapest Cybercrime Convention in 2015, which was accompanied by several capacity building programs. This new engagement under the auspices of the UN will broaden its opportunities for active engagement in multiple tracks to combat cybercrimes and to arrange resilient mechanisms, he added.

According to the Cabinet directive, the Ministry of Digital Economy will initiate an inter-Ministerial mechanism with Ministries in charge of Justice, Foreign Affairs, Public Security, Defence and other related institutions to prepare arrangements towards ratification of this Convention within three-months’ time with special attention on legal and technical readiness as well as capacity building.

Sri Lanka CERT is designated as the national focal point on this landmark UN Convention, which was unanimously adopted by the UN General Assembly by its Resolution No 79/243 at its 55th plenary meeting in December 2024 after a series of negotiations throughout the past five years.

Sri Lanka’s signing of the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime will mark a major step forward in global and national cybersecurity cooperation. This milestone underscores Sri Lanka’s commitment to international cooperation, digital trust, and secure cyberspace, the Ministry of Digital Economy added.