The United Nations Convention against Cybercrime will be ratified.
Modern.az reports that the issue was discussed at today's meeting of the Milli Majlis.
The United Nations identifies the fight against cybercrime as one of the priority areas requiring international cooperation against transnational criminal threats arising from the development of information and communication technologies. To strengthen legal cooperation among states in this direction, the “United Nations Convention against Cybercrime on Strengthening International Cooperation in Combating Certain Crimes Committed Through the Use of Information and Communication Technology Systems and in the Exchange of Evidence Related to Serious Crimes in Electronic Form” was opened for signature on October 25, 2025, in Hanoi.
The main objective of the Convention is to strengthen cooperation among states in combating crimes committed through the use of information and communication technology systems, as well as to establish a unified legal framework for the collection, exchange, and preservation of evidence related to serious crimes in electronic form. The Convention envisages the fight against cybercrime not only at the national level but also through mechanisms of international legal assistance, extradition, and operational mutual cooperation.
Within the framework of the Convention, the unified definition of concepts used in the field of cybercrime, the prevention of loss, alteration, or destruction of evidence in the electronic environment, as well as the ensuring of the effectiveness of investigation and prosecution processes, serve as fundamental principles. The document places particular importance on direct and operational cooperation between the competent authorities of states, the simplification of mutual legal assistance mechanisms, and the establishment of continuously operating communication mechanisms.
In accordance with the final provisions of the Convention, the document is open for signature, ratification, acceptance, or approval by states and enters into force after the completion of relevant domestic procedures. At the same time, the Convention allows participating states to make declarations and reservations regarding its certain provisions.
The Republic of Azerbaijan submitted a number of important declarations and reservations when ratifying the Convention. These declarations expressed positions regarding the acceptance of the Convention as a legal basis in the field of extradition and mutual legal assistance, the identification of competent central authorities for these processes, as well as the language for submitting requests and operational communication mechanisms. With the reservations, the scope of application for certain criminal offenses defined within the framework of the Convention was clarified, taking into account the conditions for criminal liability, the criterion of significant harm, and the peculiarities of the national legal system.
Thus, the Convention and the declarations and reservations of the Republic of Azerbaijan thereto form the legal basis for international cooperation in combating cybercrime, and amendments to relevant normative legal acts are envisaged to ensure the application of substantive and procedural norms arising from the Convention in the national legal system. These amendments are aimed at the implementation of the provisions of the Convention, as well as the declarations and reservations submitted by the Republic of Azerbaijan, in national legislation.
