Papua New Guinea is the most recent country from the Pacific Islands Forum to be invited to accede to the Council of Europe’s Convention on Cybercrime, commonly referred to as the Budapest Convention. PNG's participation underscores its increasing dedication to tackling cybercrime and promoting international collaboration. A delegation led by Mr. Steven Matainaho, the Secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (ICT), attended the 31st Plenary Meeting of the Cybercrime Convention Committee, which was held in Strasbourg, France, from December 10th to 12th, 2024. This marked Papua New Guinea's (PNG) first participation as an observer on the committee. The delegation also included key representatives: Chief Censor Jim Abani; John Laule from the Department of Justice and Attorney General; Benjamin Howard from the PNG Immigration and Citizen Services Authority; and Oala Moi from the National Information and Communications Technology Authority (NICTA). On December 11th, Secretary Matainaho delivered a statement emphasizing Papua New Guinea's (PNG) progress toward accession and underscoring the significance of the Budapest Convention in combating cybercrime. He expressed PNG's gratitude to the Council of Europe for the opportunity to participate in global efforts to address cyber threats. Recapping the cyber issues faced by the country this year, Secretary Matainaho provided an overview of the incident. “On January 10th, 2024, Papua New Guinea experienced social unrest that was exacerbated by misinformation and disinformation spread through social media,” he said. The Papua New Guinea National Executive Council (NEC) promptly issued the following directive: immediate and necessary steps must be taken to ensure the ratification and signing of a cybercrime convention for domestic enforcement in Papua New Guinea. Mr. Matainaho highlighted Papua New Guinea's rapid progress toward accession. “On January 30th of this year, the State Solicitor of Papua New Guinea issued legal clearance for the country to accede to the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime," he said. In June of this year, Papua New Guinea submitted a request to the Council of Europe, seeking an invitation to accede to the Budapest Convention. The invitation was announced on October 9, along with those extended to Malawi and Kenya.