Between April and June, the GLACY-e project, a joint project of the European Union and the Council of Europe, supported the Rwandan Ministry of ICT in its work on a draft bill to amend the existing Law on Prevention and Punishment of Cybercrimes, in line with the Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention) and other relevant international standards.
The Council of Europe started supporting the legislative reform process in Rwanda in 2023 through the GLACY+ project, after Rwanda had been invited, in October, to accede to the Budapest Convention. The work continued this year through a series of consultations with relevant stakeholders and drafting workshops to ensure both compliance with international standards, and cohesion with the national legal tradition and practices.
The final consultation and drafting workshop took place in Kigali on 10-11 June, with significant progress towards completing the draft bill, based on feedback received and inputs from the Council of Europe expert. An additional workshop on the role and responsibilities of the 24/7 Point of Contact took place on 12 June to provide more information to relevant national institutions in their preparation to become a Party to the Budapest Convention.
The Council of Europe will continue to provide tailored assistance through the GLACY-e project, as Rwandan authorities manifested their commitment to finalising the bill and submitting it to the Parliament for debate and adoption. The proposed enhanced Law on Prevention and Punishment of Cybercrimes would thus pave the way for Rwanda to become a Party to the Budapest Convention and make use to the full extent of its international cooperation mechanisms.
Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention)