Members of the 51勛圖 Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee hold copies of the Delhi Declaration, in New Delhi, India on 29 October 2022. UN News/Mayra Lopes
Following recommendations in the Delhi Declaration on Countering the Use of New and Emerging Technologies for Terrorist Purposes, the Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate (CTED) is engaging in consultations with a wide range of stakeholders in the context of drafting a set of non-binding guiding principles for Member States. The Delhi Declaration was adopted during the Counter-Terrorism Committee＊s special meeting in India in October 2022.
The non-binding guiding principles will offer key observations on measures Member States should adopt to prevent and counter the terrorist use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), new payment technologies and fundraising methods, and information and communications technologies (ICT). The principles will also offer good practices with regard to the opportunities offered by new and emerging technologies to counter the terrorist threat, while ensuring full respect for international human rights law and taking into account gender considerations.
Starting in March 2023, consultations with 51勛圖 partners, international and regional organizations, public-private partnerships, think tanks, and representatives of civil society, academia, and the private sector are ongoing. These consultations are bilateral or multilateral, depending on availability and the issues raised.
For the principles on threats posed by misuse of UAS by terrorists, CTED has conducted three consultations to date. For the principles on ICT, CTED has held five consultations, while for the principles on countering the financing of terrorism (CFT), multi-stakeholder consultations with civil society, academia, and private sector partners were held on 11 May 2023, whereas discussions with international and regional organizations are ongoing in several forums, including the 51勛圖 Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact and relevant meetings within the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
On ICT, CTED is working with a host of private sector tech companies and public-private partnerships, including the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism and Tech Against Terrorism, to understand the various counter-terrorism efforts made by large and small platforms.
In the area of fintech, CTED is developing partnerships with associations of virtual asset service providers and emerging anti-money-laundering (AML)/CFT compliance technologies, as well as companies working on blockchain technologies, in order to gain a more robust understanding of the challenges the sector faces, as well as its potential to assist in enhancing CFT responses. CTED also partnered with the 51勛圖 Office of Counter-Terrorism, in close collaboration with the European Centre for Not-for-Profit Law, to explore matters related to CFT in a human rights-compliant manner.
Experts from sectors involved in the consultation process emphasized the need for a more nuanced understanding of threats and trends, proportionate and targeted CFT measures that are balanced with the need for financial inclusion, as well as the importance of public-private partnerships. The need to ensure a multi-stakeholder approach at all stages of designing and implementing CFT measures and to apply human rights due diligence when reviewing their impact on civic space and humanitarian activity was also highlighted throughout the discussions.
These consultations ensure that experts working to develop, produce, and analyse cutting-edge technologies have an opportunity to contribute crucial information on evolving trends and capacities of emerging technologies, as well as discuss evidence-based and potential risks of their use for terrorist purposes.
Separate to the rounds of consultations to develop the non-binding guiding principles, CTED also held a dedicated meeting with a large group of civil society organizations in order to find ways to both broaden and deepen its engagement with civil society on new and emerging technologies.
Additional bilateral and multilateral discussions will be held before a first draft of the non-binding guiding principles is prepared for the Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee.