India to host United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee meeting in October 2022

New Delhi: The United Nations Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) has decided to hold a special meeting on the theme “New and Emerging Technologies” with the support of its Executive Directorate (CTED), in India on 29 October 2022.

The members that will participate in the meeting are Albania, Brazil, Gabon, Ghana, India, Ireland, Kenya, Mexico, Norway and the UAE, along with five permanent members China, France, Russia, the UK and the US. There are several other countries and international organisations, and experts that are invited and will participate in the meeting. This will be the seventh time the Counter-Terrorism Committee meets outside New York. The most recent special meeting of the CTC outside of United Nations headquarters took place in Madrid, Spain in July 2015, focusing on foreign terrorist fighters. (FTFs).

The agenda/meeting will focus on three areas where emerging technologies are massively being used and abused by the extremists, for terrorism purposed and spreading disinformation and hate speech. The special meeting will discuss the use of technology for security and counter-terrorism purposes, namely (a) the Internet and social media, (b) terrorism financing, and (c) unmanned aerial systems (UAS). The meeting would be conducted in the six official languages of the United Nations and be open to the wider United Nations membership and other relevant stakeholders.

New threats and misuse of technology

With the rapid rise of technology and digitization, the use of new and emerging technologies in counter-terrorism is a topic of growing interest among the Member States, policymakers and researchers, particularly in the context of the increasing role played by technology in terrorism and counter-terrorism.

In India, we have been witnessing and suffering from the misuse of technology for terrorism purposes. The use of drones in carrying weapons in the border areas and the use of social media in preaching and radicalising the youth is on ascending order that needs to be halted and corrected.

This use of new technology like hacking hospital records or shutting the supply of electricity through cyberattacks, sitting far away from the place of operations is a worrisome factor and a huge challenge for several countries.

Equally, disinformation through social media, and encrypted websites, are killing the very spirit of humanity and challenging several international defence and security laws. The Security Council now understands the dangers and has been discussing the issue in several official meetings. Several counter-terrorism-related resolutions, most recently resolution 2617 (2021), mandate, the renewal of the counter-terrorism Committee Executive, which cited “emerging technologies”.

It is further addressed in the “Global survey of the implementation of Security Council resolution 1373 (2001) and other relevant resolutions by the Member States”, the Technical guide to the implementation of Security.

India presently chairs the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee. India's two-year tenure at the Council will end in December 2022. Earlier Ambassador T. S.Tirumurti was the chair who retired in June and is replaced by Ambassador Ruchira Kamboj, based in New York headquarters.

On 24 March 2022 in the meeting of the Counter-Terrorism Committee on “Countering terrorist narratives and preventing the use of the Internet for terrorist purposes” at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Amb Tirmurti explained that Terrorists keep exploiting heightened vulnerabilities, loneliness, and extreme frustration of people all over the world, including children and youth.

Amb Trimurti said that the terrorists have exploited the pandemic, “Further, the use of information and communications technologies (ICT) and, new and emerging technologies, and cyberspace for terrorist purposes is on the rise. Particularly in the past two years, terrorists have exploited the pandemic to fuel societal divisions, sectarian hatred, and anti-democratic movements.” Ambassador was referring to the conspiracy theories, the spread of misinformation, and disinformation campaigns in pandemic times, thereby continuing to fuel the society to bring distrust in Governments and State institutions.

India is experienced in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations and much advanced in IT technology. Indian troops and agencies have been fighting online and offline multiple insurgencies in difficult terrains in Jammu and Kashmir, Left Wing Extremism in Central India and some tough militancy in the areas of North East States. In addition, some scattered cases of Islamic extremism in the Southern States of India.

In some cases, terrorists are either getting support from the neighbouring countries or after the violent act, the insurgents take refuge in these countries. India had to time and again go for surgical strikes against the terrorists in Myanmar and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir. Several countries are now asking India’s advice for sharing the best practices of counter-insurgency operations. India on its part is sharing information and experience bilaterally with the friendly countries and at several multilateral forums developing strategic partnerships between the two countries/multilateral forums to fight against global terrorism.

The Counter-Terrorism Committee was established in 2001 in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. UNSC Resolution 1373 (2001) established the Counter-Terrorism Committee as a subsidiary body of the Council. The Security Council held its last hybrid meeting on 8 June 2022 in New York on threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts. The Council heard the fourteenth report of the Secretary-General on the threat posed by ISIL (Da'esh) to international peace and security and the range of United Nations efforts in support of Member States in countering the threat.

As the Chair of the CTC for 2022, India is not only sharing its experience but also making determined efforts to further enhance the role of the CTC in strengthening the multilateral response to counter-terrorism. This Counter-Terrorism Committee meeting in India in October 2022 is in the same direction that is being supported by the majority of the countries which may even see some new suggestions for new resolution or conventions to control the misuse of the new technologies by the terrorists or extremists.