Syed Akbaruddin said the priority of the UN body should be the response to the threat posed by terrorists, which he said, unfortunately, is yet to materialize.
India’s permanent representative at the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin, during the 15th meeting of the UN Counter-Terrorism (UNCCT) advisory board, said terror outfits are thinking futuristically even as the UN struggles to actualize the essential counterterrorism necessities.
Speaking during the meeting, Akbaruddin said there looms an impending threat from terrorists even as the bodies constituted to counter terrorists and terror plots sit on taking a collective response to the attacks of the past.
“While we take years to work on our approach to a collective response to terrorist threats faced in the past, the threats of tomorrow are being planned in the dark web and obscure safe havens,” said Akbaruddin.
He welcomed the initiative put forward by the Secretary General in bringing together counter-terrorism heads but reminded that the Office of Counter Terrorism (OCT) is a long pending first step in a series of things that are still to be taken to face the challenges we are confronting.
He also said the real purpose of UNCCT will be fulfilled only when the heads involved decides to think big, think long-term and adjust the course as and when required. According to Akbaruddin, the priority of the UN body should be the response to the threat posed by terrorists, which he said, unfortunately, is yet to materialize.
Akbardudin opined that rather than scattering resources across a wide range of issues, the UN body should concentrate on its primary task of addressing the issues posed by terrorists.
He also said Spain’s proposal about the linkage between transnational crime and terrorism is something that can be of interest. “Narco-Terrorism, after all is not a new concept. That transnational crimes such as trafficking can have terrorist links in the evolving scenario is possible,” he said.
He added that India is one of the countries that have witnessed the worst tragedies caused by terrorism. Akbardudin said the country is aware of the nature of the menace that terrorism, with its supporting eco-systems poses, and the necessity of collective international effort required to counter it.
“There is no way around a stronger international response to this threat,” he stated.
“In this regard, increasing the regular budget component in assisting the functioning of the UN’s Counter Terrorism activities is inescapable, now or later. It will need to be considered with seriousness. This is inescapable, otherwise, we risk turning the UN’s Counter Terrorism efforts into those of a trauma center, rather than of institution acting with forethought and foresight,” he said as a concluding remark.