U.N. Counter-Terrorism Trust Fund

Why in news?

• India has contributed $500,000 to the N. Counter-Terrorism Trust Fund,underscoring commitment to support the global fight against the terrorism.
  • With its current contribution, India’s cumulative financial support to the trust fund now stands at $2.55 million.

About

• India’s contribution would support UNOCT’s global programmes — mainly Countering Financing of Terrorism (CFT) and Countering Terrorist Travel Programme (CTTP).
• They are aimed to combat the financing of terrorism and prevent the movement of terrorists in Africa.
  • Addressing the issue of the growing threat of terrorism in Africa has been one of the counter-terrorism priorities of India for the past few years.

What is Terrorism?

• Terrorism encompasses a range of complex threats:organized terrorism in conflict zones, foreign terrorist fighters, radicalized ‘lone wolves’, and attacks using chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive materials.
• It typically involves the deliberate targeting of civiliansand it aims to create a sense of terror.
• It’s a complex and multifaceted phenomenon, often rooted in socio-political grievances, extremism, or radical ideologies.

The modus operandi of the Global Terrorist Groups is as under:  

• Use of Advanced Technology:There has been a shift in terms of access to advanced technology by terrorist groups that has given terrorist groups a tactical edge to carry out their operations seamlessly.  
• Encrypted Messaging:GTGs are highly dependent on the encrypted messaging platforms for instructions and preparations of terror attacks, revival of their sleeper cells.
• Funding:Crowd funding and virtual currencies like bitcoins are heavily used for terror financing.
• Lone Wolf Attacks:GTGs continue to urge sympathizers and followers across the world to carry out lone wolf attacks.
• Radicalisation:They radicalized youth through misinformation and false narrative via extensive use of social media platforms.

Challenges in Tackling Terrorism

• Use of Evolving Techniques:Terrorist groups continuously evolve their tactics, techniques, and procedures to evade detection and carry out attacks.
  • There has been notable increase in use of drones for cross-border trafficking of arms and drugs as well as launching terror attacks.
• Transnational Nature:Terrorism often transcends national borders, making it difficult for individual nations to address the threat effectively.
• Root Causes:Addressing the root causes of terrorism, such as poverty, inequality, political grievances, and extremist ideologies, requires long-term strategies that go beyond traditional security measures.
• Civil Liberties and Human Rights Concerns:Balancing security measures with the protection of civil liberties and human rights presents a significant challenge.
  • Measures such as surveillance, detention without trial, and restrictions on freedom of speech raise ethical concerns.
• Cyberterrorism: The internet provides a platform for terrorist propaganda, recruitment, and coordination.
  • Addressing online radicalization and countering terrorist narratives in cyberspace requires collaboration between governments, tech companies, and civil society organizations.
• Financing and Resources:Tracking and disrupting terrorist financing networks can be challenging due to the use of informal channels, money laundering techniques, and legitimate financial institutions.
• Lone Actors:The rise of homegrown terrorists and lone actors presents a challenge for counterterrorism efforts.
  • These individuals may not have direct connections to established terrorist groups, making them harder to detect and prevent.

Global Measures Taken to Combat Terrorism

• United Nations Counterterrorism Framework: The UN Security Council has adopted several resolutions that provide a legal framework for counterterrorism actions, including measures to prevent terrorist financing, stem the flow of foreign fighters, and strengthen border security.
• Financial Action Task Force (FATF):FATF is an intergovernmental organization that sets standards and promotes policies to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.
  • Member countries implement FATF recommendations to strengthen their anti-money laundering and counterterrorism financing regimes.
• Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF):GCTF is a multilateral forum that facilitates cooperation and capacity-building initiatives to strengthen counterterrorism efforts worldwide.
• Intelligence Sharing and Cooperation:Bilateral and multilateral intelligence-sharing agreements enable countries to exchange information on terrorist threats, suspects, and activities.
• Aviation Security Measures: In response to the threat of aviation terrorism, countries have implemented stringent security measures at airports and aboard aircraft.
• Cybersecurity Collaboration:International initiatives promote information sharing, capacity building, and the development of common standards to enhance cyber defenses.

Conclusion

• Countering radicalization and addressing socio-economic and political grievancesare essential components of comprehensive counterterrorism efforts.
• Collaboration on cybersecurityis essential for combating cyberterrorism and preventing terrorist use of the internet for recruitment and propaganda.

Thirty years of Marrakesh Agreement

Why in news?

• India has called for re-energising discussions in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on the development dimension to achieve tangible progress and meaningful outcomes.

About

• Development agendarefers to issues being pushed by developing and least developed nations. These issues include access to finance and technology, food security, and supply chain resilience.
• In a paper on ‘30 years of WTO: how has the development dimension progressed? – A ‘way forward’submitted recently to the WTO General Council, India asked all members to submit proposals on such issues to bring back focus on the development dimension of WTO.

World Trade Organization (WTO)

• WTOis the international organization that deals with the rules of trade between countries.
• History: WTO is the successor to the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) established in the wake of the Second World War.
  • The Marrakesh Agreementestablishing the World Trade Organization was signed by 123 countries in 1994, leading to the birth of the WTO on 1 January  
• Headquarters:Geneva, Switzerland
• Member: The WTO is run by its 164 members.
• Mandate: Its aim is to promote free trade, which is done through trade agreements that are discussed and signed by the member states.
  • The preambleof the Marrakesh Agreement accords primacy to the developmental objectives of this organization.

Organizational Structure of WTO

• Ministerial Conference: The WTO’s apex decision-making body is the Ministerial Conference, which usually takes place every two years.
  • All members of the WTO are involved in the Ministerial Conference and they can take decisions on all matters covered under any multilateral trade agreements.
• General Council: It is just below the Ministerial Conference that meets several times a year at the WTO’s headquarters in Geneva.
  • It meets as the Trade Policy Review Body and the Dispute Settlement Body.
  • Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Council: It is for the Goods, Services, and Intellectual Property, and it reports to the General Council.

India and WTO

• Indiahas been a WTO member since 1 January 1995.
• Peace Clause: WTO members at the Bali ministerial meeting in 2013put in place a mechanism called the Peace Clause to tackle the differences between nations on food subsidy.
  • Under this clause, developing nations could not be dragged to arbitration if they did breach the prescribed limit of10 per cent on support to farmers.
  • However, there was confusion over whether the temporary reprieve would continue after four years.
• Concerns of Western nations: Large agriculture commodity exporters such as the US and Canada are critical of such a move as they believe that higher subsidies are distorting agriculture prices in the global market.
  • It is also argued that public stockholding at administered prices gives countries such as India an unfair competitive advantage in trade, contradicting the WTO’s principles of open and fair trade.
• Protectionist Measures:India has expressed serious concerns in a WTO meeting over an increase in the use of trade protectionist measures by certain countries in the name of environment protection.

India’s stand

• India, proposed that domestic support provided by a developing country for PSH programmes should be considered compliant with theWTO’s AoA (Agreement on Agriculture) rules and not subject to reduction commitments.
• The external reference pricefor calculating the subsidy element is pegged to 1986-88 prices, which leads to inflated subsidy calculations because existing international prices are much higher.

Way Ahead

• The WTO must adapt to the changing dynamics of global trade and ensure that it continues to play its role effectively in the years to come.
• India has suggested that WTO bodies, which hold thematic sessions, should devote at least one session to discuss specific needs of LDCs, LLDCs and Small Island Development States.
• WTO bodies which are underutilized such as the Working Group on Trade and Transfer of Technology and the Working Group on Trade, Debt and Finance should be reinvigorated, bringing in greater coherence with relevant intergovernmental organizations.