Mains Syllabus: GS II - Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests; Important International institutions, agencies and fora- their structure, mandate.

Why in the News?

The Pahalgam terror attack of April 22 has exposed, yet again, the fragmentation in the global fight against terror.

What is the international framework against terrorism?

• UN Security Council – It is  the principal international organ dealing with international peace and security and  has also long been involved in the fight against terrorism.
• It’s resolutions are legally binding on member states to combat terrorism.

• United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy – It  is a unique global instrument to enhance national, regional and international efforts to counter terrorism.
• Through its adoption by consensus in 2006, all United Nations Member States agreed to a common strategic and operational approach to fighting terrorism.
• The Strategy reaffirms that Member States have the primary responsibility to implement the United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and in preventing and countering terrorism and violent extremism conducive to terrorism.
• United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism – It is responsible for promoting international cooperation in counterterrorism efforts, examining the causes and effects of terrorism and organizing efforts to prevent terrorism and extremism.
• International Legal Instruments – There are 19 international legal instruments that address various aspects of terrorism, such as hijacking, hostage-taking, bombings, and financing terrorist activities.
  • 1970 Hague Convention (Aircraft hijacking).
  • 1997 International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings.
  • 1999 International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism.
  • 2005 Nuclear Terrorism Convention.
• INTERPOL  - It plays a crucial role in counter-terrorism by facilitating international police cooperation, sharing intelligence on terrorist networks, and providing technical support and training to member countries.
• Financial Action Task Force (FATF) – It is the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog and sets global standards to combat terrorist financing.
• Global Counterterrorism Forum – It is an informal, apolitical, multilateral counter-terrorism platform that was launched officially in New York on 22 September 2011.
• Regional Mechanisms - Many regions have developed their own frameworks such as
  • European Union - EU Counter-Terrorism Strategy, Europol, and Eurojust.
  • African Union - 1999 Algiers Convention on the Prevention and Combating of Terrorism.
  • ASEAN - Convention on Counter-Terrorism and regional cooperation.

What are the challenges in collective fight against terrorism?

• Fragmentation in Global Response - Countries often prioritize their own security concerns, leading to inconsistent approaches to counter-terrorism.
• Europe is focused on “its” terrorists — right-wing extremism and terror.
• The U.S., was focused on REMVE, or racially and ethnically motivated violent extremism.
• Lack of co-operation among countries - Canada has told India that “your” terrorists are not “my” terrorists and that any terrorist threat against India from its soil is covered under its freedom of expression.
• Geo political constraints - Geopolitical interests sometimes prevent nations from taking decisive action against terrorism.
• Certain countries block efforts to blacklist terrorists due to strategic alliances.
• China has blocked proposals submitted by India in 2022 to “black-list”, under the UN Security Council 1267 sanctions regime, terrorists operating against India from Pakistani soil.
• Lack of Strong International Coordination – Despite many resolutions and conventions by the United Nations and Interpol work to combat terrorism, enforcement remains weak due to differing national policies.
• Emerging Threats - Terrorist groups increasingly use cyber warfare, social media, and encrypted communication to evade detection.
• Escapism of responsible organizations - The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is keen only to use Islamophobia as an excuse to condone terror.
• State-sponsored terrorism - India, which is the biggest victim of state-sponsored terror from Pakistan.

What lies ahead?

• Strengthening international efforts against terrorism requires greater cooperation, intelligence sharing, and decisive action.
• Strengthen multilateral frameworks like the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
• Diversified expansion of UN Security Council is the need of the hour to strengthen the collective effort by strong decisive decisions and actions.
• Regional platforms like SAARC, BIMSTEC can be effectively used to create and enforce regional counter terrorism efforts.

Reference

The Hindu | The fragmentation in the global fight against terror