Timor-Leste advanced cybercrime cooperation and civil rights protections through two treaty signatures.
Timor-Leste signed the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime and the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in New York on 24 September 2026. Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Bendito dos Santos Freitas signed both instruments on behalf of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste during the Treaties Event at the High-Level Week of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The United Nations Convention against Cybercrime provides an international framework for preventing and combating crimes involving information and communication technologies. It also supports cooperation between states in criminal investigations and the collection and sharing of electronic evidence linked to serious crimes. The signing followed several national measures aimed at developing Timor-Leste’s legal and institutional framework for cybersecurity and cybercrime.
In July 2026, the Council of Ministers approved a draft Law Proposal requesting legislative authorisation from the National Parliament to legislate on cybercrime, criminal procedure in cybersecurity and the legal framework for national cyberspace. In August, the Government established the Interministerial Commission on Cybersecurity and the Digitisation of Government Services and approved the 2026–2031 National Integrated Plan addressing digital financial scam networks, organised cybercrime and human trafficking.
During the same Treaty Event, Minister Freitas signed the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Timor-Leste has been a State Party to the Covenant since 2003. The Optional Protocol provides a mechanism for individuals to submit communications to the United Nations Human Rights Committee under the Protocol.
Source: Government of Timor-Leste
