A two-day meeting of the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee in India has ended with the adoption of a document committing Member States to prevent and combat digital forms of terror, notably using drones, social media, and online terrorist financing.
The growing threat posed by new and emerging technologies to global security is the focus of a special meeting of the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee, which opens on Friday in India.
Terrorist groups are exploiting all the new social media platforms and communication technologies to expand and fund their activities, according to a representative from the UN’s Counter Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED).
Delphine Schantz, one of CTED’s legal officers stated that internet sites and “crowdfunding” platforms are being misused to buy weapons online and raise funds for other terrorist purposes.
A UN global plan of action to prevent violent extremism is being drawn up that will amount to much more than “just talk.”
That’s according to the senior official coordinating the effort, Jehangir Khan, who is the director of both the Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force (CTITF) and the UN’s Counter-Terrorism Centre.
His office is working with 38 different UN entities on a comprehensive plan for the Secretary-General, focused on terrorism prevention.
Many countries are struggling to put in place passport monitoring systems aimed at preventing the international flow of terrorist fighters, according to a top UN counter-terrorism official.
The UN’s Counter-Terrorism Committee has released its second report on Security Council resolution 2178, which calls on countries to implement specific measures to stem the flow of foreign fighters.
Approximately 20,000 foreign combatants are fighting for extremist groups in conflicts such as the ongoing crisis in Syria.
That’s according to the Counter-Terrorism Committee which was established by the UN Security Council.
The Committee is meeting on Monday in Madrid, Spain, on strategies to address the threat presented by foreign terrorist fighters.
Carlota Fluxa spoke to Jean-Paul Laborde, its Executive Director, who says international efforts to halt their recruitment are “not quick enough.”
