28 nations adopt Phnom Penh Declaration on online scams
The agreement focuses on greater cross-border cooperation to identify and dismantle criminal networks, trace and recover their proceeds.
Cambodia.- Representatives from 28 countries and seven international organisations have adopted an 11-point framework aimed at disrupting online scam networks and the financial infrastructure supporting them. The Phnom Penh Declaration was agreed on September 24 at the International Conference on Combating Online Scams (ICCOS-2026),
The declaration calls for greater cross-border cooperation to identify and dismantle criminal networks, trace and recover their proceeds, and strengthen the exchange of intelligence and financial information. It also calls on countries to improve their legal and regulatory frameworks and use technology to detect and disrupt scam activity.
The framework includes protections for people trafficked into scam operations, including a commitment not to punish victims for criminal acts carried out under coercion. Governments are also encouraged to work more closely with technology and financial companies while taking action to shut down scam compounds and the infrastructure supporting them.
The declaration is voluntary and not legally binding and does not establish specific implementation steps, leaving individual countries to apply the commitments within their legal frameworks.
Held over September 23–24, ICCOS-2026 brought together more than 600 participants, including government officials, law enforcement agencies, financial regulators, technology companies and cybersecurity specialists. The conference was co-sponsored by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), INTERPOL and the Lancang-Mekong Integrated Law Enforcement and Security Cooperation Centre (LMLECC).
