India asks international community to redouble efforts to fight terror

United Nations: India has asked the world community to "redouble" the efforts to fight the growing threat of terrorism by expediting the adoption of an international convention on terrorism, saying the United Nations members must recognise the "graveness" of its threat.

"As one of the oldest victims of terrorism in the world, India urges the UN and Members of the bloc to recognise the graveness of this threat and commit to redouble our efforts in a practical and sustained manner to fight this scourge of world peace," Srinivas Prasad, a senior official in the Indian Mission to the UN, said.

"A commitment to the signing of the proposed and much discussed Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) – a global compact on Terrorism- would be an important step forward," he said, according to prepared remarks, posted on the mission's website.

Addressing a high-level forum on 'Culture of Peace' on Friday, Prasad said terrorism and extremism constitute the biggest threats to world peace today and "destabilises" societies and global order.

"This threat cannot be contained in one corner of the world and it will spill over to all parts of the world, as recent terrorist attacks in Europe, Africa, Turkey, Bangladesh and Afghanistan have demonstrated," he said.

Noting that while India aims to not only lift its population out of poverty but also build a peaceful and just society, Prasad said that the country "recognises" that "its economic development is contingent on a peaceful neighbourhood and global order".

"We have, therefore, stressed on regional interconnectivity with our neighbours in South Asia and sharing of developmental efforts," he said adding that India also recognises the importance of supporting the UN in dealing with instability and violence and bringing peace in various parts of the world.

Invoking the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi, Prasad said the Indian leader's "powerful message" of peace and non-violence resonates even more strongly today "in a world in which we are faced with terrorism against innocent civilians and vulnerable members of society."

He said Gandhi's message is "deeply relevant" at a time when terrorism is used as "state policy" with no thought to the consequences to peaceful citizens and groups of women and children.

Voicing concern over the consequences of terrorism on the world's children, Prasad said conflict and violence impacting the stability of State structures, from Africa to Afghanistan, has "tragically" fuelled a mass refugee influx with children constituting a large section of this influx.

"While the world has striven to address this global refugee influx, we need to pay greater attention to ending terrorist violence which brings about this influx. A Culture of Peace and security is a prerequisite for economic development and the eradication of poverty, which ultimately is a safeguard against instability and mass violence," he said.