AIR Spotlight: UNSC Counter Terrorism Committee

AIR Spotlight is an insightful program featured daily on the All India Radio Newsonair. In this program, many eminent panellists discuss issues of importance which can be quite helpful in IAS exam preparation. 

This article is about the discussion on United Nations Security Council-Counter Terrorism Committee meeting held in India  (UNSC CTC).

Participants:

1. Ashok Sajjanhar – Former Diplomat
2. Manash Pratim Bhuyan – Journalist

Context – A two day meeting of the United Nations Security Council’s Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC) on the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes (internet, new payment mechanism and use of drones) was held in India.

India hosted the UNSC CTC Meeting

• India hosted the UNSC CTC meeting during its two year tenure as a non-permanent member of the 15 nation UN Security Council. This is the first such meeting of UNSC CTC in India since its establishment in 2001. The permanent representative of India to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj served as the chair of the CTC for 2022. 
• It brought UN officials, ministers and diplomats from all members of the Security Council (UNSC) to discuss challenges to the global counter-terrorism architecture. The two day meet started in Mumbai and the spotlight was on 26/11 attacks when 166 people lost their lives, out of which 140 were Indian nationals and 26 belonged to 23 countries. This attack was not just against India but against the global community as well.

• The meeting specifically focussed on three significant areas where emerging technologies are experiencing rapid development, growing use by Member States (including for security and counter terrorism puposes), and increasing threat of abuse for terrorism purposes namely –

1. Internet and social media
2. Terrorism financing and
3. Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS).

• On day 2 of the special meeting, the Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC) unanimously adopted the Delhi Declaration (non-binding document) on countering the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes. The declaration aims to cover the main concerns surrounding the abuse of drones, social media platforms and crowd-funding and create guidelines that will help to tackle the growing issue. 

India’s Five Points Proposal 

External Affairs Minister of India, Shri S. Jaishankar urged the UNSC members that the battle against terrorism must be fought resolutely at all fronts, all situations and all places. He proposed five points to counter terror funding. These are 

1. Effective and sustained efforts at countering terror financing in collaboration with FATF and the Egmont Group.

• • The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog. The inter-governmental body sets international standards that aim to prevent these illegal activities and the harm they cause to society. As a policy-making body, the FATF works to generate the necessary political will to bring about national legislative and regulatory reforms in these areas.
  • The Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units is an international organization that facilitates cooperation and intelligence sharing between national financial intelligence units (FIUs) to investigate and prevent money laundering and terrorist financing.
    • To ensure effective and transparent functioning of the Security Council sanctions.
    • International cooperation and concerted actions against terrorism through dismantling safe havens and training groups.
    • Need to recognise and break terror nexus with strengthened multilateral efforts.
    • Innovative solutions to counter terror groups’ diversified funding portfolios by new and emerging technologies.

Read previous AIR Spotlight articles in the link.

AIR Spotlight: UNSC Counter Terrorism Committee:- Download PDF Here