2023-2024
General Assembly: Third Committee: Social, Cultural, and
Humanitarian Committee SOCHUM
The Third Committee of the General Assembly at its seventy-seventh session, was chaired by His
Excellency José Alfonso Blanco Conde of the Dominican Republic.
This committee discusses agenda items having to do with a range of social, humanitarian affairs
and human rights issues that affect people all over the world. Much of their important work
examines human rights concerns and the procedures of the Human Rights Council.
The committee discuss questions relating to the advancement of women, the protection of
children, indigenous issues, the treatment of refugees, the promotion of fundamental freedoms
through the elimination of racism and racial discrimination, and the right to self- determination. It
also considers important social issues related to youth, family, aging, persons with disabilities,
crime prevention, criminal justice, and international drug control.
Source: https://www.un.org/en/ga/third/
Topic 1: Agenda Item - Countering the use of information and
communications technologies for criminal purposes
Information and Communication Technologies or ICT’s have become essential to the activities of all peoples
of the world. The increase in the use and influence of ICT’s during the past few decades has allowed not
only for advancement in a variety of fields such as medicine, communication, and transportation but also in
types of crimes committed against countries, corporations and citizens. Fighting crime in this field is
changing rapidly as new technology is developed daily.
The international community has been debating cyber security for the last two decades. The General
Assembly in particular developed an international framework, adopting annual resolutions around the issue
of ICTs and international security since 1999. The threats to international order and peace that may arise
through the misuse of ICTs has been addressed by the General Assembly and expanded each year by
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2023-2024
establishing a group of governmental experts and addressing respect for human rights and fundamental
freedoms regarding ICTs.
The Budapest Convention is the first international treaty that outlines policies and legislation protecting
against cybercrime focusing on the effective prosecution of offenses and encouraging closer cooperation
among Member States to address common threats to cyber security. Other organizations that deal with the
issue of cyber-crime include international organizations like the UN Office of Counter Terrorism (UNOCT),
the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), and reports from organizations like the United Nations
Institute for Disarmament Research. In 2019, the UN General Assembly established an open-ended ad hoc
intergovernmental committee of experts and representatives of all regions to create a comprehensive
international Convention on countering the use of information and communications technologies for
criminal purposes.
The UN must balance the interests of all involved regarding cybercrime and consider the rights of individuals
while still maintaining the sovereignty of each member state. Cooperation between member states and
creating a common understanding of how best to protect the interests of individuals all over the world are
paramount to the success of protecting ICT users.
Objectives
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To protect ICT users
To provide a coordinated approach to combat cybercrime
To create a common understanding of what constitutes criminal offenses in the context of ICTs
To build on and respect international criminal law regarding cybercrime thus far
To develop procedures compatible with the existing framework; not to duplicate existing processes
To safeguard critical information infrastructures from cyberattacks
To encourage collaboration among member states to share data and resources to protect against crime
Introduction to the Topic
Define the following key terms:
sovereignty
extradition
ICT’s
cybercrime
UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime)
What is cybercrime?
What are different types of cybercrime?
How can cybercrime jeopardize safety and security?
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2023-2024
What are ICT’s and what are the most common forms?
How is daily life impacted by ICT’s?
How does the Conference of the Parties (COP) operate?
What are the different types of land degradation?
Resources
https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/cybercrime/ad_hoc_committee/home
https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/cybercrime/home
Background
Key Terms:
Budapest Convention (Convention on Cybercrime)
Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (UNTOC),
Digital forensics
OECD Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
UNODC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
UNTOC United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime
How has the international community approached cyber security?
In what ways have member states cooperated to combat cybercrime?
Which ways seem most effective?
How can working together help individuals?
Country Focus
How does your country define cybercrime?
What laws does your country have in place to deter cybercrime?
Which conventions, if any, has your country signed or belong to?
How does your country communicate with other member states regarding cybercrimes?
Are there examples of your country cooperating with other countries regarding cyberspace? In what way and how?
Resources
https://www.unodc.org/documents/Cybercrime/AdHocCommittee/FAQ_Jan2022.pdf
https://unctad.org/page/cybercrime-legislation-worldwide
***Annotated resource to aid comprehension ***:
https://montessori-mun.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/SOCHUM-Topic-1-Annotated-Article2023_24.pdf
Current Challenges
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2023-2024
Key Terms
Ad hoc committee
mandate
What hinders international cooperation and which methods can be employed to foster dialogue?
How can international agreements be made to ensure national laws are not impeded?
What are the main obstacles to an international agreement on cyber security?
What impacts do AI, facial recognition and smart devices have on cyber security?
How can the global community be protected by malware, social media trolls and lack of encryption?
Country Focus
How has your country addressed cybercrime?
What cybercrimes occur most often in your country?
Where does your country stand regarding the Budapest Convention?
Resources
https://globalinitiative.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/UN-Cybercrime-PB-22Dec-web.pdf
https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/cybercrime/ad_hoc_committee/home
https://www.unodc.org/documents/Cybercrime/AdHocCommittee/Website/AHC_Road_map.pdf
Solutions
Key Terms
CCPCJ Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice
GDPR General Data Protection Regulation
ICT information communication technology
What options are there to bring more clarity to the concepts of cybercrime, cyber warfare, and cyber terrorism?
How could capacities be increased to identify, prevent, and respond to cyber threats?
What role should be played by developed versus developing nations in achieving global cyber security?
Country Focus
What, if anything, does your country do to provide cybersecurity to its citizens?
What polices, if any, are in place to protect citizens?
How does your country address access to information?
Are there any blocks put in place by the government?
Resources
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/V19/025/35/PDF/V1902535.pdf?OpenE
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N23/008/06/PDF/N2300806.pdf?OpenElement
https://press.un.org/en/2021/ga12328.doc.htm
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2023-2024
https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Cybersecurity/Pages/United-Nations-Launches-Global-CybersecurityIndex.aspx
Questions for Adolescent Reflection
How can you protect yourself from cybercrime?
How can the conflict between personal privacy and cyber safety be resolved?
Why is it so important to maintain the human right to privacy as cybersecurity is considered?
How can you best promote staying safe online?
Past UN Resolutions
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N19/440/28/PDF/N1944028.pdf?OpenElement
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N10/526/34/PDF/N1052634.pdf?OpenElement
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N21/133/51/PDF/N2113351.pdf?OpenElement
Please note: The United Nations Official Document System has some firewalls that cause links to be
broken intermittently. If the direct link is not functioning, please access the resolution using the following
link instead, and then search the database by copying and pasting the resolution number (starting with
A/Res) into the “Symbol” search field: https://documents.un.org/prod/ods.nsf/home.xsp
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