India's Ongoing Commitment to Global Counter-Terrorism Efforts
India's Counter-Terrorism Initiatives
New Delhi, July 12: India has been actively collaborating with 26 nations through Joint Working Groups on Counter Terrorism (JWG-CT), as highlighted in the Ministry of External Affairs' latest annual report for 2024. This report underscores India's determination to foster collective action against terrorism.
India's engagement extends to various regional and multilateral organizations, including BIMSTEC, G20, ASEAN Regional Forum, SCO, BRICS, EU, FATF, and the QUAD Forum, focusing on counter-terrorism efforts.
Meetings of the Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism have taken place with countries such as the US, Kazakhstan, France, the European Union, the UK, Japan, Australia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and Russia.
Additionally, India participated in the Group of Legal Experts (GLE) meeting of the Regional Anti Terrorist Structure of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (RATS SCO) in Beijing, China.
At the ASEAN level, the 11th ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC)+India Consultation was convened in Vientiane, Laos.
In July 2024, the 9th Annual BRICS Counter Terrorism Working Group Plenary and its Sub-Groups’ Meetings were held in Moscow, while India hosted the 8th Meeting of the BIMSTEC SubGroup on the Prevention of Illicit Trafficking in Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances, and Precursor Chemicals in New Delhi.
On the multilateral stage, India engaged in a regional workshop organized by UNODC in collaboration with the Sri Lankan government in Colombo, focusing on enhancing rehabilitation and reintegration strategies.
During the FATF Working Group meeting and Plenary in Singapore, India's Mutual Evaluation Report was adopted, placing the nation in the 'regular follow-up' category, indicating significant compliance with FATF Recommendations.
India also attended the FATF’s Working Groups and Plenary meeting in October.
Participation in the Global Counter Terrorism Forum (GCTF) included the Trans-regional Group Meeting and the 23rd Coordinating Committee Meeting in Nairobi, as well as the 24th Coordinating Committee Meeting and Ministerial Meeting in New York in September 2024.
India was involved in the 40th Plenary meeting of the Eurasian Group on Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (EAG) in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic, and continued its participation in the ‘Dushanbe Process High-Level Conference - the Kuwait Phase’ with a meeting in Kuwait in November.
In Sydney, India took part in the QUAD Technical Exchange and Workshop on C-WMD Threats, along with the 2nd meeting of the QUAD Counter Terrorism Working Group and the 5th QUAD Table Top Exercise in Tokyo.
Counter-terrorism remains a priority for India at the United Nations, where it has advocated for comprehensive multilateral actions, capacity-building support for member states, and effective implementation of UN CT-related sanctions.
India has actively supported the capacity-building initiatives of the UN Office of Counter Terrorism (UNOCT) and has called for greater autonomy for the office.
Furthermore, India has emphasized the need for enhanced collaboration between UNOCT agencies and international forums like the FATF to promote terror financing standards and counter the misuse of emerging technologies for terrorist activities.
In 2024, India contributed $500,000 to the UN Trust Fund for Counter Terrorism and participated in various meetings, including the 23rd Coordination Committee meeting and the 14th Ministerial meeting of the Global Counter Terrorism Forum (GCTF).
India also took part in the Ministerial meeting of the Group of Friends of Victims of Terrorism (GOFVOT) and attended periodic meetings of the Advisory Board to the UN Counter Terrorism Centre (UNCCT) chaired by Saudi Arabia.
In line with its commitments to counter-terrorism issues, India participated in the Global Conference on Victims of Terrorism held in Vittoria, Spain.