FIJI has become the first Pacific country, and the 50th globally, to sign the Second Additional Protocol to the Budapest Convention against Cybercrime, demonstrating its commitment to global cybersecurity and the fight against cybercrime.
Fiji’s director-general for Digital Government Transformation Tupou’tuah Baravilala signed the convention on June 5 at the Council of Europe’s Octopus Conference in Strasbourg, France.
“Our commitment, as demonstrated today, goes beyond our border,” Ms Baravilala said in a statement from the Ministry of Communications yesterday.
“Fiji is resolute in our active engagement in global cybersecurity matters, including the fight against cybercrime.”
She highlighted Fiji’s participation in critical international forums, including the final session of the UN Open Ended Working Group on Cyber next month, the Pacific Islands Forum ICT Ministers meeting in Fiji in August and the signing of the UN Convention against Cybercrime in October, where Fiji was actively involved in the three-year negotiations.
In the statement, DPM and Minister for Communications Manoa Kamikamica reinforced the Government’s strategic focus on enhancing national cyber resilience.
“The signing of the Second Additional Protocol to the Budapest Convention further strengthens Fiji’s commitment to an open, safe, secure, stable, accessible, peaceful and interoperable ICT environment,” Mr Kamikamica said.
“This supports the vital work of our police, investigative authorities and prosecution, building upon Fiji’s previous accession to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime last June.”
He noted the Government’s ongoing efforts to modernise legal frameworks, including the present development of the country’s National Cybersecurity Strategy and the upcoming National Privacy and Personal Data Protection Policy with the support of the Council of Europe C-PROC Office.
He said those initiatives were geared towards strengthening the national cyber resilience, aligning to a global rules-based order with the people’s wellbeing at its heart.
The Second Additional Protocol provides crucial tools for criminal justice authorities, enabling direct cooperation with service providers in other member countries and expedited means of cooperation in emergency situations.
These robust tools are complemented by strong human rights and rule of law safeguards, including the protection of personal data.
Fiji acceded to the Budapest Convention in June last year, and it was introduced to enhance cross-border cooperation in combating cybercrime and facilitate access to electronic evidence.
In April this year, Cabinet had agreed that Fiji sign the Convention.
Ms Baravilala was accompanied by ACP Mesake Waqa to the Octopus Conference, which brought together some 500 cybercrime experts from more than 100 countries.
Note: This article was first published on the print version of the Fiji Times dated June 14, 2025
