Strengthening global responses to counter and prevent cyber-related crime through innovative, integrated, and customized solutions. Supporting Member States to counter and prevent cybercrime by implementing activities in pillars based on Capacity Building, Regulatory Framework Support, Cooperation and Prevention.
To evolve into a leading hub for training and knowledge exchange across the MENA region and beyond. While the original agreement between the UNODC and Qatar positioned on the MENA region, our cooperative scope will expand to bridge the gap between the global South and North, East and West, fostering enhanced collaboration.
The specialized courses are grounded in the UNODC’s Global Programme on Cybercrime (GPC) expertise, built over more than a decade of work in technical assistance and global capacity-building. This trajectory is reflected in the technical proficiency and professional background of the Center’s team of experts and other GPC specialists, who contribute their knowledge from the UNODC headquarters and UNODC field offices worldwide. Each course is designed and delivered based on adult learning principles and is part of a catalogue that provides a solid framework for offering both standardized and tailored content, adapted to the specific needs of each country, as identified jointly with Member States. Beyond theory, the courses emphasize the practical application of knowledge. They are designed either for national settings—bringing together participants from various institutions within a single country—or for multinational courses involving several countries. This approach reinforces one of our core priorities: strengthening inter-institutional and international cooperation.
Crime prevention is a proactive approach that aims to identify and address the root causes and conditions that lead to criminal behavior. Prevention is key to building a resilient cyber ecosystem. The Center leads preventive activities to raise awareness and educate teachers, parents, students, and other key stakeholders about the risks and factors contributing to cybercrime. These efforts include producing customized materials, running educational campaigns, and strengthening skills in both formal and non-formal education settings, in collaboration with museums, ministries of education, and other institutions. Through these activities, the Center also works to strengthen the culture of reporting and reduce impunity—helping to protect individuals, communities, and society as a whole. The overall goal is to foster a safe environment, both online and offline, that promotes positive behavior and reduces opportunities for criminal activity.
The Centre also serves as a hub for cutting-edge research in cybercrime, primarily focusing
on developing frameworks to counter and prevent it. The research, through an evidence-based
approach, supports a deeper understanding of the evolution and expansion of cybercrime
phenomena. Since 2024, the Regional Centre for Combating Cybercrime in Doha has been
collaborating with Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar University, and Northwestern
University in Qatar on two projects as part of the Cluster project on Digital Citizenship.
This project identifies effective socio-technical strategies to strengthen attitudinal
resilience against online safety and security threats.
The Center also produced research that tackles the challenges law enforcement faces in
investigating suspects from High-Risk Criminal Networks (HRCN) and utilising the open-source
Artificial Intelligence Large Language Model (LLM) algorithms in OSINT and SOCMINT
investigations.
Publications:
Mentoring plays a crucial role in nurturing the next generation of criminal justice practitioners and other relevant stakeholders who contribute to combating and preventing cybercrime. The Center provides ongoing support to trained national officials as they carry out their work against cybercrime. This hands-on guidance helps bridge the gap between training and practical application. Over time, as criminal justice practitioners gain experience and confidence, UNODC mentors gradually reduce their involvement, empowering these professionals to become trainers themselves and replicate the training in their own countries and beyond.
In collaboration with the Graduate College of the Police Academy of the State of Qatar, the UNODC Regional Center for Combating Cybercrime in Doha is implementing a comprehensive and integrated academic enhancement programme. The programme comprises several key pillars, including the delivery of specialized courses to the staff and students of the Graduate College, the provision of training of trainers initiatives to support long term capacity development, the design and delivery of new Master’s degree programmes within the curriculum, and the integration of UNODC materials into the Graduate College’s academic offerings.
This training catalogue on combating and preventing cybercrime represents the culmination of more than a decade of dedicated effort by the UNODC Global Programme on Cybercrime to enhance the capabilities of law enforcement agencies (LEAs) and criminal justice practitioners in addressing cyber threats.
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