In spite of all efforts to battle the “gravest menace to humanity,” S. Jaishankar, the minister of external affairs, noted on Saturday that the threat of terrorism is growing and spreading around the world, notably in Asia and Africa.
Speaking at a special gathering of the Counter-Terrorism Committee of the United Nations in the capital, Jaishankar stated, “The greatest threat to humanity continues to be terrorism. In order to address this threat, the UNSC has developed a significant architecture over the past 20 years that is centred on the counterterrorism sanctions system.
“Nevertheless, he continued, “as previous reports of the 1267 Sanctions Committee Monitoring Reports have noted, the threat of terrorism is only growing and expanding, notably in Asia and Africa.”
India is hosting the special two-day UNSC meeting, which is taking place while India is the head of the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC). He informed the CTC members that their attendance at the special meeting in Delhi shows how seriously the UNSC member states and many other stakeholders take this crucial and developing aspect of terrorism.
The fact that the council is having this special meeting of its anti-terrorism meetings in India is also a result of the fact that anti-terrorism has elevated to the top of the security council’s priority list, he continued.
In order to highlight the negative aspects of emerging technology, Jaishankar claimed that blockchains, encrypted message services, and virtual private networks have all presented new difficulties for governing bodies and regulatory agencies.
Given the inherent vulnerabilities of some of these technologies and the developing regulatory framework, the innovations have also presented new issues for governments and regulatory organisations, according to the minister.
Terrorist organisations, ideological allies, especially in open and liberal nations, and lone wolf attackers have recently improved their capabilities by getting access to technology. They assault freedom, tolerance, and development using technology, money, and the spirit of open societies, he continued.
In addition, Jaishankar claimed that social media and internet platforms have developed into effective weapons in the arsenals of terrorist and militant organisations for disseminating disinformation, radicalization, and conspiracy theories intended to undermine societies. He continued, “The use of unmanned aerial systems by terrorist groups and organised criminal networks is another add-on to the existing worries for governments throughout the world.
Last but not least, Jaishankar disclosed that India will voluntarily contribute $500,000 to the UN Trust Fund for Counter Terrorism this year to support UNOCT’s efforts to support member nations in developing their capacity to avoid and combat the menace of terrorism.
