More than 50 participants representing 30 countries have met in Strasbourg for the first Steering Committee of GLACY-e (Global Action on Cybercrime Enhanced), a joint project of the European Union (EU) and the Council of Europe (CoE). GLACY-e builds on efforts and achievements of its predecessor projects (GLACY and GLACY+) and focuses on strengthening capacities of states worldwide to apply legislation on cybercrime and electronic evidence.
During the meeting, GLACY-e partner countries discussed the overall progress of the project and shared key developments at country level. Equally, participants engaged in the presentation of feedback sessions and strategic planning to enhance collaborative efforts in combating cybercrime globally.
In its first semester of operation, GLACY-e has successfully facilitated 59 capacity building activities. Representatives of the eight hub countries are fully engaged in GLACY-e activities and are promoting active cooperation with other countries at regional level. Several partner countries (among others, Rwanda, Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia, Uruguay, Guatemala, Nigeria, Cameroon, Timor-Leste) are taking meaningful steps in the review of legislative cyber-crime processes, addressing alignment with the Convention on Cybercrime (Budapest Convention).
INTERPOL has also extensively contributed to ensuring law enforcement agencies in partner countries have the skills and knowledge to effectively investigate cybercrime, with a particular focus on cryptocurrencies investigations. GLACY-e is building synergies with other cybercrime related initiatives at regional level. Current and future discussions with other EU-funded projects and EU Delegations in Latin-America and the Pacific are specific examples.
In the second semester of 2024, GLACY-e will continue supporting capacity building activities in its partner countries. Besides regular activities taking place at national level, two major regional events will be organised in Africa (the Third African Forum) and Pacific (training of Chief Justices of the Pacific Islands and support for the Annual Meeting of the Association of Public Prosecutors of the Pacific Islands).
Background
The GLACY-e project will spearhead capacity building initiatives in countries across Africa, the Asia-Pacific region, and Latin America. Also, it will initially focus on eight hub countries: Chile, the Dominican Republic, Ghana, Senegal, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and Tonga, along with over 20 additional selected countries.
The first GLACY-e Steering Committee underscores a collective commitment to fortifying international cooperation and capacity building in the fight against cybercrime, marking a significant step towards a safer cyber environment for all participating countries.
