All India Radio
Role of UN in Combating International Terrorism
Prime Minister Modi visited Washington to attend nuclear security summit and has emphasised on various steps that the world should take in order to prevent terrorism and stop the access of nukes to non state actors. He also called for institutionalizing the global actions against terrorists. India has been advocating having a global terrorism conference since 1996 but it is not realised due to lack of political consensus among the International community.
Even after 9/11 few countries are reluctant to accept terrorism as a serious issue. This is evident from the fact that Russian head did not attend the nuclear security summit, China blocked Pathankot terror attack master mind to list as a terrorist under UN. The problem that few countries are involved in Selective interpretation and following double standards is hampering the process of cooperation in terrorism.
The role of media in addressing issues related to terrorism is also important. Media should refrain from adopting any double standards ( Gun violence in USA, Protecting country’s self interest by invading Foreign countries, where as it is reported as Communalism, minority issue, etc in India and south Asia) when it comes to reporting of terrorism in different parts of world.
Terrorism is an Ideological issue. On a longer run, terrorism needs to be dealt by addressing issues of conflict within Islam by involving intellectuals other experts.
India expects that the recent summit would contribute further to raising high level awareness of the threat of terrorism and the need to strengthen international cooperation against terrorists and nuclear traffickers. And also pushing for those who are not signatory to convention related to nuclear summit to sign up to and implement the legally binding instruments like The International Convention on the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, obligatory reporting under the UN Security Council Resolution 1540 which was adopted in 2004 and which has prohibitions and obligations related to non-state actors and export controls.
These are some of the measures to prevent and combat terrorism listed in the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy
- To refrain from organizing, instigating, facilitating, participating in, financing, encouraging or tolerating terrorist activities.
- To cooperate fully in the fight against terrorism, in accordance with our obligations under international law.
- To ensure the apprehension and prosecution or extradition of perpetrators of terrorist acts, in accordance with the relevant provisions of national and international law.
- To intensify cooperation, as appropriate, in exchanging timely and accurate information concerning the prevention and combating of terrorism.
- To strengthen coordination and cooperation among States in combating crimes that might be connected with terrorism.
- To consider becoming parties without delay to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and to the three protocols supplementing it, and implementing them.
- To encourage relevant regional and sub-regional organizations to create or strengthen counter-terrorism mechanisms or centres.
The importance India attaches to the UN’s role as a universal platform to bring together different strands of work on nuclear security is immense. The UN is the forum where India moves every year a consensus resolution on WMD terrorism. India believes that that is very important to ensure that non-state actors do not get access to nuclear material and nuclear technologies and those countries around the world strengthen their export control measures.
