22 Countries and 3 International Organizations Agree on 'Phnom Penh Declaration' to Combat Cyber Fraud

Twenty-two countries and three major international organizations have agreed on the 'Phnom Penh Declaration,' aiming to eradicate cyber fraud. Cambodia hosted the conference, which seeks to dismantle criminal networks and protect vulnerable individuals. The Phnom Penh Declaration, dated September 24, 2026, was adopted after representatives from 22 governments, including Cambodia, Australia, Brazil, China, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nigeria, Pakistan, the Philippines, Rwanda, Singapore, Timor-Leste, Uganda, Vietnam, and the United Kingdom, convened in Phnom Penh on September 23-24, 2026. The gathering was part of an international conference on combating cyber fraud, hosted by Cambodia with the support of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), and the Mekong-Lancang Cooperation and Integration Law Enforcement Cooperation and Integration Center (MLC). Participants acknowledged that cyber fraud is an organized, transnational crime that is rapidly increasing. These activities generate significant financial losses, facilitate crime proceeds, and enable money laundering by exploiting financial institutions, payment systems, virtual assets, and various networks. The declaration states that criminal networks are used to move, conceal, and launder illicit proceeds, exploit victims, and involve human trafficking to force individuals into committing crimes. Such activities can erode public trust, misuse new technologies and infrastructure, and threaten national, regional, and global security and economic development. Representatives pledged to collectively protect citizens, vulnerable migrant workers, and victims of trafficking, while safeguarding the integrity of the digital economy and financial systems. They committed to dismantling the entire cyber fraud ecosystem by identifying, sanctioning, blocking, eliminating, and ending the activities of criminal organizations and individuals who knowingly or intentionally facilitate these acts. Furthermore, parties agreed to eliminate cyber fraud sites and related infrastructure through swift and decisive law enforcement measures within their respective jurisdictions. They will also strengthen cross-border cooperation mechanisms to identify, investigate, block, and permanently shut down fraud sites and associated infrastructure. The Phnom Penh Declaration emphasizes turning these commitments into concrete actions through enhanced cooperation, coordinated operational responses, effective partnerships, robust legal and institutional frameworks, and continuous capacity building to strengthen victim protection and support. However, the declaration is voluntary and does not carry legal obligations. Implementation will be carried out in accordance with national laws, international legal instruments, and within the respective jurisdictions of the participating authorities, while fully respecting human rights, due process, and the protection of privacy and personal data. Source: Kampuchea Thmey Local