Phnom Penh Declaration targets scam assets and shields trafficking victims, but remains non-binding

Delegates from 27 countries and seven international organisations have issued the Phnom Penh Declaration after attending the International Conference on Combating Online Scams (ICCOS), held in the Cambodian capital on September 23-24. The document sets out a shared agenda for breaking up criminal networks and putting a stop to technology-driven scams.

Among its commitments is the seizure and recovery of assets connected to such crimes, in line with national law and subject to mutual agreement. The declaration also says victims should not face punishment for offences they were forced to commit as a result of trafficking.

Eleven shared goals

The declaration stresses that no single government, institution or sector can take on online scams alone. Instead, it calls for sustained and coordinated collective action to dismantle the wider criminal ecosystem and cut off the financial flows that sustain it, all while staying within existing national laws and international legal instruments and respecting national sovereignty.

The Cambodia-hosted conference was supported by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) and the Lancang-Mekong Integrated Law Enforcement and Security Cooperation Center (LMLECC). Every participant signed the document, which sets out eleven common goals:

• The first three goals centre on deeper international cooperation, disrupting the structures that enable technology crimes, and identifying and seizing criminal proceeds and assets.
• The fourth through seventh goals commit signaries to advancing technological innovation, stronger policy and legal frameworks, better-resourced authorities and communities, and expanded public-private partnerships.
• The eighth through tenth goals address protecting trafficking victims, upholding the principle that people coerced into committing crimes should not be punished, and bolstering trafficking prevention efforts.
• The final goal pledges participants to eliminate major scam compounds and their related infrastructure.

Participants said they are committed to turning these promises into concrete action. However, the declaration is voluntary and does not create legally binding obligations. Implementation will depend on the laws and international legal instruments in force within each participating authority's jurisdiction.

The document also calls for full respect for human rights, due process, privacy and the protection of personal information.