India is all set to host an important Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) conference in Mumbai and New Delhi on October 28 and October 29 respectively. India will welcome United Nations Security Council officials as well as other member countries.
At a press conference on Saturday in New York, India's Permanent Representative to the UN, Ruchira Kamboj, announced that the UN CTC would honour the victims of the devastating 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai.
The UNSC CTC's special meeting on "Countering the Use of New and Emerging Technologies for Terrorist Purposes" will be held on October 28 in Mumbai and on October 29 in New Delhi, according to Kamboj. It is important to note that India will continue to serve as chair of the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee till 2022.
Additionally, Kamboj said, "members of the UN Counter-terror committee will pay tribute to victims of the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai," and "terror constitutes the most serious threat to the international community," according to ANI. She stated that the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee conference would focus on the rapid development of three key technologies used by terrorists, including unmanned aerial systems (UAS), terrorism finance, and the Internet and social media.
The gathering will also offer the ability to examine hazards that are already present and those that are developing, how new and emerging technology is being used to counter those threats, ongoing concerns and best practices, as well as a number of pertinent human rights and gender issues.
As reported by ANI, the use of new and evolving technologies to combat terrorism is a major topic of interest among the Member States, policymakers, and researchers, particularly in light of the growing importance of technology in terrorism and counterterrorism, given the prevalence of technology and the rapid growth in digitisation.
Additionally, the Security Council has addressed this issue in several resolutions related to counterterrorism, most recently in resolution 2617 (2021), which expressly mentioned "emerging technologies."
The UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee has agreed to host a Special Meeting on this issue with the assistance of its Executive Directorate (CTED), in light of the growing threat presented by the improper use of new and evolving technology.
The Special Meeting, which India will host, will take place in six of the UN's official languages and be accessible to all of the organization's members as well as other relevant parties, including private sector organisations, civil society organisations, international and regional organisations, and CTED Global Research Network members.
