Jayantha first South East Asian to be elected to Budapest Cybercrime Convention Bureau

Jayantha Fernando

At the recently concluded meeting of the Cybercrime Convention Committee (T-CY) of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, Sri Lankan Attorney, Jayantha Fernando, was elected to the Bureau of T-CY. 

The Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime (ETS 185), often referred to as the ‘Budapest Cybercrime Convention’, is the only global treaty on Internet and computer related crime and improves investigative techniques based on international standards and enhances criminal justice cooperation among nation states to effectively combat the threat from cybercrime. The Bureau of the Budapest Cybercrime Convention Committee, consisting of a Chair, Vice Chair and 9 elected experts from across the world, is tasked with the effective implementation of this important International treaty at a global level.

The Budapest Cybercrime Convention is a European Treaty, open for non-European countries to accede. Australia, Canada, Japan, Dominican Republic, Mauritius, UK and USA are state parties to this Convention, while Argentina, Costa Rica, Mexico, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa, Ghana, Tonga, and the Philippines have either signed it or invited to accede. On 1st September 2015, the Convention entered into force in Sri Lanka. This is historic because Sri Lanka became the first country in South Asia (and only the second Asian country, after Japan) to become a state party to this Convention. ICT Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA), where Jayantha Fernando serves as Legal Advisor, took the lead initiative to facilitate Sri Lanka’s entry into the Convention.

Fernando’s nomination was proposed by Estonia and seconded by Romania and he was elected unanimously with other state parties supporting the nomination. This was in recognition of the long standing work he has done through his effective advocacy of Cybercrime and Cyber security related policy matters at a global level. He is the first from a South East Asian country to be elected to the Bureau of the Budapest Cybercrime Convention.