UN Security Council Counter Terrorsm Committee Special Meeting in India: Contribution of Technology is Advance Counter-Terrorism Efforts

Beatrice Serra

International Justice and Human Rights Researcher

Global Human Rights Defence

Over the past decades our society has been experiencing a fast pace digital revolution. Advancement in areas such as information communications technology, artificial intelligence and robotics, among others, bring major benefits to our society. However,  the detrimental effects of technology are also worrying, particularly to risks related to public safety and national security. This is the double face of technology. (Kavanagh, 2019)  

Aware of the potential of digital tools and the threats posed by them, a special meeting will be held in Mumbai and Delhi on October 28th and 29th, 2022, during which the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee will reverse its attention around three main topics: Internet and social media; financing for global terror networks; and the proliferation of unmanned aerial systems, such as drones. The meeting presents itself as the occasion to bring together member states, experts and stakeholders to discuss how technology may contribute to counter terrorism, both online and offline. (UN News, 2022; Roy, 2022) As recalled by Ruchira Kamboj, India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Counter-Terrorism Committee Chair, “over the past two decades, member states have made tangible progress in countering terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism. Yet, terrorist threat persists and despite our best efforts has evolved.” In this context, keeping up with technology progress and share best practices play a crucial role in addressing terrorism threats worldwide. (India News, 2022) 

Sources and Further Readings: 

79736. Kavanagh (August 28, 2019), New Tech, New Threats, and New Governance Challenges: An Opportunity to Craft Smarter Responses?, Carnegie, retrieved on October 27th, 2022, from https://carnegieendowment.org/2019/08/28/new-tech-new-threats-and-new-governance-challenges-opportunity-to-craft-smarter-responses-pub-79736. 

Hindustan Times (October 26, 2022), UNSC's counter-terror meet in India to focus on these key issues, India News, retrieved on October 27th, 2022, from https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/unscs-counter-terror-meet-in-india-to-focus-on-these-key-issues-101666786228563.html 

1. Roy (October 27, 2022), In a first, UNSC’s Counter Terrorism Committee to meet in India this week, The Indian Express, retrieved on October 27th, 2022, from https://indianexpress.com/article/india/in-a-first-unscs-counter-terrorism-committee-to-meet-in-india-this-week-8232075/. 

United Nations (October 26, 2022), Security Council counter-terrorism body to review growing threat posed by new technologies, UN News, retrieve on October 27th, 2022, from https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/10/1129822.