UN Security Council Body’s meeting: Delhi Declaration seeks zero tolerance towards terrorism

The meet, which focused on countering the use of new and emerging technologies by terrorists, was only the eighth time that the UN panel has met outside its headquarters in New York.

The UN Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) on Saturday urged all the UN member states to ensure “zero tolerance towards terrorism”, to deny terrorists access to safe havens and bring to justice all persons supporting or planning terror attacks.

Members of the UN’s counterterrorism committee unanimously adopted the Delhi Declaration in New Delhi on Saturday. (ANI)

The recommendations were a key part of the Delhi Declaration adopted at the conclusion of a special meeting of the CTC hosted by India. The meet, which focused on countering the use of new and emerging technologies by terrorists, was only the eighth time that the UN panel has met outside its headquarters in New York.

People familiar with the matter emphasised the significance of the CTC meeting in New Delhi amid India’s efforts to maintain focus on counter-terrorism, and the panel’s informal session on Friday in Mumbai, the scene of the deadly attacks by the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in November 2008.

“The meeting was held after Pakistan got out of the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) grey list and when China is blocking the sanctioning of Pakistan-based terrorists at the UN Security Council,” one of the people cited above said. “It helps to keep the focus on the problem. Even the symbolism is important,” the person added.

The Delhi Declaration urged all UN member states to “ensure zero tolerance towards terrorism, consistent with their obligations under international laws” and “take urgent action to prevent and counter terrorism in all its forms and manifestations”.

The declaration emphasised that “terrorists’ opportunity to access safe havens continues to be a significant concern” and called on all UN member states “must cooperate fully in the fight against terrorism in order to identify safe havens, deny terrorists’ access to them and bring to justice...any person who supports, facilitates, participates...in the financing, planning, preparation or commission of terrorist acts, including by providing safe havens”.

The CTC stressed the need to effectively counter efforts by the Islamic State or Daesh and Al-Qaeda and their affiliates to incite and recruit for terrorist acts, and condemned the continued flow of weapons, military equipment, unmanned aerial systems and improvised explosive devices (IEDs).

The committee also recognised the work of FATF to frame regulations on virtual assets and virtual assets service providers (VASPs).

Terrorism in all forms and manifestations, the declaration pointed out, “constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security”, and all states are determined to enhance the effectiveness of efforts to fight the scourge.

The CTC decided to work on recommendations made at the special meeting on three themes — countering terrorist use of ICT and emerging technologies, threats from new payment technologies and fund-raising methods, and threats posed by misuse of unmanned aerial systems (UASs) by terrorists. The committee said this work should be done while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms.

In this context, the CTC expressed concern at the increased use of the internet and other information technologies, including social media, for terrorist purposes. It said innovations in financial technologies such as crowd funding platforms present a risk of being misused for terrorist financing, and expressed concern at the increasing misuse of UASs by terrorists to conduct attacks against critical infrastructure.

The declaration said terrorism should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilisation or ethnic group. It also backed continuing discussions on the misuse of emerging technologies for terrorist purposes in relevant international forums such as the G20.