As the Pacific Islands experience digital transformation, cybercrime is emerging as a critical challenge for governments, legal systems, and communities. The region encounters complex threats including fraud, identity theft, online exploitation, and digitally enabled attacks on governments. Addressing these risks requires not just legislative action, but practical frameworks for implementation and electronic evidence handling.
PILON Cybercrime Working Group and the GLACY-e project have partnered to develop a resource that meets the Pacific’s specific needs: the Cybercrime Legislation Implementation Handbook. This initiative aims to support authorities at any stage of cybercrime law reform. The handbook guides officials from initial drafting to effective legislative and institutional implementation which will enable Pacific governments to apply cybercrime and electronic evidence provisions with clarity.
The handbook covers areas tailored to the regional context, including practical case studies that address implementation gaps and advice on how to adapt cybercrime legislation to match local legal and cultural contexts. The handbook also navigates political momentum, stakeholder mapping, and policy pitching, helping nations structure their reform timelines and identify what success should look like. Engagement with subject-matter experts and cross-agency collaboration are emphasised, including private-sector partnerships and capacity-building needs.
The final meeting held in Nadi, Fiji gathered representatives from Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu. Over three days, delegates worked collaboratively to finalise the handbook’s last chapter and practical templates, building on progress made during previous workshops in Tonga and Vanuatu. The event demonstrated the importance of regional cooperation and continuous investment in legal and institutional capacity, emphasising solutions suited for local realities and resources.
The process focused on concrete outcomes: a practical, Pacific-focused toolkit that facilitates the transition from policy to action. Continuous consultation and community awareness strategies are embedded, making the handbook a living guide for broad implementation. By finalising this resource, PILON and GLACY-e project have supported Pacific nations in the future building of robust frameworks for cybercrime legislation and electronic evidence, enhancing cooperation, resilience, and operational readiness across the region.
About GLACY-e
The GLACY-e (Global Action on Cybercrime Enhanced) is a joint project of the European Union and the Council of Europe. The project is built on the achievements of the previous GLACY+ project and follow a similar rationale in terms of countries selected for support. The project serves 35 countries worldwide, with eight of them acting as regional hubs and multipliers to share experience, tools, and good practices with the countries of their respective region.
Cybercrime Programme Office of the Council of Europe (C-PROC) is supporting countries worldwide in the strengthening of their criminal justice capacities to respond to the challenges posed by cybercrime and electronic evidence on the basis of the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime and its two Additional Protocols.
- Publication date
- 18 August 2026
- Threat area
- Fight against Organised Crime