In News:
- The UNSC Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) meeting was concluded with the adoption of Delhi Declaration.
- This year’s meeting was hosted by India. This was the first such meeting of the UNSC-CTC in India since its establishment in 2001.
- The meeting was inaugurated with the Wreath-laying ceremony at the 26/11 Memorial at the Taj hotel, Mumbai.
- The second day meeting was held at New Delhi.
What’s in Today’s Article:
News Summary: Delhi Declaration
- Zero tolerance towards terrorism
- Terrorism — in all forms and manifestations — constitutes one of the most serious threats to global peace and security.
- Hence, it urged all member states to ensure zero tolerance towards terrorism, consistent with their obligations under international laws.
- Called upon all member-states to cooperate in fight against terrorism in order to identify safe havens, deny terrorists’ access to them and bring to justice.
- Didn’t specifically mention cross-border terrorism or name any Pakistan-based terror group.
- It stressed the need to effectively counter the ways of the IS terror group and Al-Qaida, and their affiliates, to incite and recruit others to commit terrorist acts.
- The declaration said terrorism should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilisation or ethnic group.
- Took note of the new threats emerging due to increasing use of technologies
- It expressed concerns that terrorism has become more diffused due to the use of new and emerging technologies.
- There has been the increase in global misuse of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) by terrorists.
- They are using UAS to conduct attacks, and incursions into critical infrastructure and soft targets or public places, and to traffic drugs and arms.
- The declaration asked members to develop measures to deter, detect and disrupt the acquisition and use of drones by terrorists, and engage in partnerships with the private sector to this end.
- Many participating leaders argued for a united approach against the drone threat and demanded a regulatory framework that could be adopted by member states.
- The declaration also recognized that innovations in technology may offer significant counter-terrorism opportunities.
- On the threat from cryptocurrencies
- The Delhi Declaration called on member states to consider and assess risks associated with prepaid cards, virtual assets and crowdfunding platforms.
- It urged them to implement risk-based anti-money-laundering and counter-terrorist financing regulations, monitoring, and supervision to providers of relevant services.
- The declaration acknowledged the essential role of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in this regard.
- On the problem of terrorist use of internet and social media
- The declaration highlighted the increased use of internet by terrorists and their supporters for recruitment and incitement to commit terrorist acts.
- Efforts to moderate and remove such content has been challenging.
- One reason being the absence of international agreement on what constitutes terrorism.
- They are also using these platforms for the financing, planning, and preparation of their activities.
- Continue voluntary cooperation with the private sector and civil society
- This is to develop and implement more effective means to counter the use of new and emerging technologies, including the Internet, for terrorist purposes.
Key highlights of the speech made by Indian EAM
- He announced that India will make a voluntary contribution of $0.5 million to the UN Trust Fund for Counter Terrorism this year.
- EAM pitched for global efforts to stop possible misuse of encrypted messaging and crypto-currency by non-state actors.
- He also cautioned that social media platforms have turned into potent instruments in the toolkit of terror groups.
- The new and emerging technologies – from virtual private networks, and encrypted messaging services to blockchain and virtual currencies – offer a very promising future.
- However, there is a flip side especially where terrorism is concerned.
- Lone wolf attackers have significantly enhanced their capabilities by gaining access to these technologies.
- They use technology and money, and most importantly, the ethos of open societies, to attack freedom, tolerance and progress.
- He recalled India’s experience of the 2008 Mumbai attacks where technology of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) could be used for organizing and directing the attack from beyond India’s borders.
