High Level Conference on Counter Terrorism

Session IV: “Strengthening Capacity Building Programs : Making them Fit for Purpose to Meet Resilience Gaps”

Date : 20 June 2023: Venue: CR-4, UN HQs

Let me begin by thanking the UN office for Counter Terrorism – for including me as a panelist in today’s discussions.

Since the theme of this panel is centered around the larger subject of Addressing Terrorism through Reinvigorating Multilateralism – and how do we make them fit for purpose to meet the Resilience Gaps, allow me to make my remarks on some of the key shortcomings that we face in the global counter terror architecture, as anchored in the United Nations.

Distinguished delegates, you are well aware that India – has faced the brunt of terrorism from beyond our borders – for well over three decades - whether it be the Mumbai Terror Attacks of 2008, the 2016 Pathankot Air Base Attack or the 2019 Pulwama terror attacks, we have lost several thousands of innocent civilians, as well as, the bravest of the brave of our armed forces, in our collective battle against terrorism.

So when we talk about plugging loopholes, capacity building and meeting the resilience gaps, India’s perspectives are coming from hard core experiences from frontlines of the innumerable battles we have fought against terrorists in real time and on a daily basis.

While 9/11 terror bombings in this iconic city of New York changed the landscape of the global counter terror architecture,  the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks shook the collective conscience of world’s largest democracy.

Ten fully armed assailants from across our borders, well trained in conducting urban warfare, descended on our shores and wreaked havoc over three days, that resulted in 166 innocents being killed, that included 26 foreign nationalities.

During our Chairmanship of the UNSC Counter Terrorism Committee, the entire UN Security Council, visited Mumbai, and paid collective homage at the site of the attacks in October last year. We thank all member states for their solidarity in standing  by the victims.

Yesterday, the UN Office for Counter Terrorism in a special gesture, dedicated a tree at the North East lawns of the UN HQs to Memory of Victims of Terrorism – and invited a victim of the Mumbai Terror attacks to share his story.

But regretfully justice still continues to elude the victims of the Mumbai terror attacks.

Please listen to this sound file recorded even as the terror attacks were unfolding.

This is SAJID MIR – directing the terrorists – on phone – to hunt down foreigners at the Taj Hotel and kill them indiscriminately.

The master mind of the Mumbai Terror Attacks SAJID MIR – was listed as a proscribed terrorist – under the national laws of India, of the United States, and of several other countries, but when the proposal for listing Sajid Mir – did not get through the Global Listings of the UN Security Council Sanctions Regime  despite several member states co-sponsoring it – we have righteous reasons to believe that something is genuinely wrong with the global counter terrorism architecture.

If we cannot get established terrorists who have been banned across global landscapes proscribed by the United Nations – for petty geopolitical interests – then we really do NOT have the genuine political will to sincerely fight this challenge of terrorism.

15 years after the Mumbai terror attacks, its masterminds have not yet been brought to justice. Some of them continue to roam scot free – with full state hospitality.

So the first and the most critical gap – we feel addressing is : avoiding double standards and this self- defeating justification of good terrorist vs bad terrorists.

A terror act is a terror act – period - any justification – being used – should not be countenanced upon by anybody.

The first gap, we need to plug therefore,  is in the Sanctions Regime itself, and see how do we improve its working methods to secure the successful listing of genuine and evidence based objective listing proposals.

The second question, we need to ask is. In this day and age of accountability and transparency, can we have genuine listing proposals blocked without giving any reason for the same ?

Another area which we need to address in the working methods : is can we allow for submission of proposals under the garb of anonymity?  Should we not be owning up for serious proposals that are being moved for the consideration of the entire UNSC membership.

These are some of glaring gaps that we must meet if we have to make Sanction Regimes fit for purpose.

Distinguished delegates,

Another important gap, that we need to address is the growing potential for the misuse of new and emerging technologies by extremists, radicals and terrorists.

Over years, they have diversified their funding portfolio  and expanded their recruitment tool kit. They exploit the anonymity afforded by new and emerging technologies such as virtual currencies for fundraising and finances.

Terrorist groups have also been taking advantage of openness of pluralistic and democratic societies, spreading false narratives, inciting hatred and radicalizing ideologies.

Under India’s Chairship of the UNSC Counter Terror Committee last year, we took the important step of addressing these challenges through the unanimous adoption by all members of the UN Security Council of the New Delhi Declaration that has suggested concrete pathways to member states for capacity building. The Delhi Declaration provides an important consensus based policy pointers for strengthening the resilience gaps and making our collective effort fit for purpose.

We have a side event –day after tomorrow lunchtime at ECOSOC, focused on the implementation of the New Delhi Declaration, jointly organised along with the the delegation of UAE,– and invite you all to attend the same .

One final element of concern that I would like all member states to ponder is this increasing disconcerting trend to get religion or one kind of religiophobia inadvertently inserted in the terrorism discourse.

It’s a slippery slope which in our view is best avoided.

Representing a pluralistic and diverse democracy which is home to all religions of the world,  it is our considered submission that the United Nations Global CT architecture must treat all religions equally and avoid any selective singling out that tends to elevate one religion over another.

I leave this as a thought for all member states to introspect upon.

In the last two decades, terrorism has been significantly countered and its justification de-legitimized. But this battle of ours remains work in progress. It is a battle in which there is no respite. 

If  we have to be seriously address the resilience gaps, ensuring the integrity and accountability of the counter-terror multilateral mechanisms and transparency in their working methods is an essential pre-requisite.

We hope that when the GCTS review is adopted in the General Assembly, it’s based on a comprehensive, contemporary, and result-oriented approach that brings the entire membership of the UN together in tackling this greatest scourge of our times.

As India, we had proposed an 8-point action plan on Counter Terrorism to the UN Security Council in early 2021.  If we earnestly implement the 8 point action plan, we may perhaps avert another “9/11 of New York” or “26/11 of Mumbai” to happen again.

While hosting the No Money for Terror Conference in November last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said and I quote :

“We consider that even a single attack is one too many and even single life lost is one too many. So we will not rest till terrorism is uprooted.” Unquote

All it takes for the other side, is one slip up our part and we mustn’t let that happen.

India remains resolutely firm in walking the talk, when it comes to plugging the resilience gaps in countering terrorism.

I thank you

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