CyberSouth – Cooperation on Cybercrime in the Southern Neighbourhood Region (*GFCE Initiative)

Summary

Short introduction on the project

General information

CyberSouth is a joint project of the European Union and the Council of Europe aimed at strengthening legislation and institutional capacities on cybercrime and electronic evidence in the region of the Southern Neighbourhood in line with human rights and rule of law requirements.

Priority Countries

The priority countries of the project are Algeria, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia.

This project, specially aimed at cybercrime and electronic evidence, is the first one targeting countries of the Southern Neighbourhood region. This project should thus be seen as a starting point to consolidate legislation and competent institutions to deal with cybercrime and electronic evidence in criminal investigations and thus to permit them to engage actively with the international community

Target Groups

• Ministries of Internal Affairs, national police units and specialized cybercrime units
• Ministries/Agencies responsible for State Security (cybercrime investigations, operative activities and international cooperation);
• Ministries of Justice (legislative units, cybercrime/security strategies and international cooperation units);
• Prosecution Offices (cybercrime prosecutions and international cooperation);
• Training institutions for all above criminal justice agencies (Police Academies, Prosecution training centres, Judicial Schools, etc.)
• Governmental or national Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs);
• National communications regulators;
• Personal data protection agencies;
• Internet service providers and industry associations;
• Civil society, academia and public at large for communications and visibility purposes.

Overall objective

To contribute to the prevention of and control of cybercrime and other offences involving electronic evidence, in line with international human rights and rule of law standards and good practices.

Specific objective

To strengthen legislation and institutional capacities on cybercrime and electronic evidence in the region of the Southern Neighbourhood in line with the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime

Objectives

• Criminal law frameworks strengthened in line with the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime, including rule of law safeguards (Article 15).
• Specialised police services and interagency as well public/private cooperation strengthened with a sustainable approach
• Judicial training on cybercrime and electronic evidence mainstreamed
• Criminal justice authorities have better skills and tools for more effective international cooperation on cybercrime and e-evidence
• Strategic priorities on cybercrime and electronic evidence identified

Outcome

• At least three additional countries will have a legal framework in line with the Budapest Convention.
• Another two countries will have draft laws in line with the Budapest Convention.
• Specialised police units in priority countries are operational and report a 25% increase in investigations.
• Domestic procedures for cybercrime investigations and handling of electronic evidence in place in all priority countries
• Modules on cybercrime and electronic evidence are included in the curricula of judicial training institutions and delivered in the five priority countries.
• Domestic judicial training courses on cybercrime and electronic evidence developed in all priority countries.
• Share of reference magistrates having received basic and advanced training delivered by local trainers.
• Role and performance of 24/7 points of contact through availability of operating procedures for 24/7 points of contact. By the end of the project, contact points in 5 priority countries are established and are sending and receiving requests.
• Regional (CyberSouth) Judicial Network established
• Strategic priorities agreed by in priority countries based on an assessment of legislation and institutional capacities

Details

Examples of activities:

• Prepare an assessment (study) on competent authorities and on the functioning of international cooperation in the Southern Neighbourhood region
• Organise a regional/international conference on roles and responsibilities in international police-to-police and judicial cooperation on cybercrime and e-evidence
• Conduct advisory missions on the establishment of 24/7 points of contact
• Organise regional training workshops on international cooperation and the role of 24/7 points of contact
• Support the participation of representatives of Southern Neighbourhood countries in the Cybercrime Convention Committee, the annual EUROPOL/INTERPOL conferences, and other relevant international meetings and training events
• Organise two regional/international conferences to support the establishment and the function of the CyberSouth Judicial Network
• Support the organization of a regional/international workshops on the functioning of different Networks and their use such as on Budapest 24/7 Network, G7 and i24/7 Interpol and the elaboration of operating procedures for 24/7 points of contact
• Prepare an assessment (study) on current cyber security and cybercrime policies or strategies in the Southern Neighbourhood region
• Organise a project launching conference on cybercrime policies/strategies with the participation of senior officials from the Southern Neighbourhood region
• Support the preparation of (annual) cybercrime and e-evidence situation reports

Activities

• Building on judicial training courses in 2018 and 2019, the Council of Europe Office in Tunis and the Cybercrime Programme Office of the Council of Europe (C-PROC), in co-operation with the Institut Supérieur de la Magistrature of Tunisia organised the course Training of Trainers (ToT) on cybercrime and electronic evidence for magistrates in Tunis, on 19-21 September 2023. The three-day course focused on training methodology and how to effectively educate criminal justice professionals.
• The Cybercrime Programme Office of the Council of Europe and the Ministry of Justice of Algeria jointly organised a national conference on cybercrime during 24 and 25 September 2023, in Algiers, Algeria,  to assess the steps undertaken and results achieved to address cybercrime in the last five years.