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Computer scientist. It is the essential prefix that defines our world today. From the privacy of individuals to relations between states, cyber dominates discussions and headlines, so much so that we risk being paralyzed by the scale of the problems we face.

But we would do well to keep in mind that despite the many unresolved questions about the future of cybersecurity and governance, international cooperation is essential to address the growing cybercrime threats.

Online exploitation and abuse of children. Darknet markets for illegal drugs and guns. ransomware attacks. Human traffickers use social media to lure their victims. The unprecedented reach of cybercrime – across borders, into our homes and schools, businesses, hospitals and other vital service providers – only amplifies the threats.

A recent estimate puts the global cost of cybercrime at $600 billion. The damage done to sustainable development and security, gender equality and protection – women and girls are disproportionately harmed by online sexual abuse – is immense.

Keeping people safer online is a huge task, and no single entity or government has the perfect solution. But there is much we can do, and we need to do more, to strengthen prevention and improve response to cybercrime, in particular by:

Build capacity, particularly law enforcement, to fill gaps, especially in developing countries; And

Strengthen international cooperation and dialogue - between governments, the United Nations, other international and regional organizations, INTERPOL and many other partners, including business and civil society, who have an interest in stopping cybercrime.

Cybercrime, including the distribution of malware, ransomware and hacking; cybercrime, such as email phishing to steal financial data; and online child sexual exploitation and abuse all have something in common besides the "cyber" aspect: they are crimes.

Police, prosecutors and judges need to understand these crimes, they need the tools to investigate and prosecute offenders and protect victims, and they need to be able to prosecute and bring cases to justice.

At the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), we work in more than 50 countries to provide necessary training, hone investigative skills, track cryptocurrencies in financial investigations and use software to detect material abusive online and chase predators. As a direct result of our capacity-building efforts in one country, a high-risk pedophile with more than 80 victims was arrested, tried, and sentenced. We provided the training in partnership with the International Center for Missing & Exploited Children and Facebook. This is just one example of how capacity building and partnerships with NGOs and the private sector can ensure criminals are behind bars and vulnerable children are protected.