India is hosting the UNSC Counter-Terrorism Committee’s special meeting focused on new and emerging technologies
The opening day's deliberations of the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee's two-day special meeting hosted by India will be held on October 28 at Mumbai's iconic Taj Palace Hotel - one of the targets of the horrific 26/11 terror attacks of 2008.
According to the official schedule, members and host representatives will congregate for the soft opening session, where they will pay respect to and make statements about terrorism victims. Later, there will be a joint wreath-laying ceremony "In Memoriam" homage to the victims at the 26/11 Memorial.
The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel was chosen as the venue for the first day's programme in an effort to convey the seriousness of India's determination to combat terrorism.
The second day of the meeting will be held in New Delhi's Taj Palace Hotel on October 29 and will feature a minute of silence to remember the victims of terrorism. India is the current chair of the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee.
During the meeting, attendees will have the opportunity to talk about risks that are currently present and those that are developing and how new and emerging technology is being used to combat those threats.
On the opening day, members will participate in the first thematic briefing on "Countering terrorist exploitation of information and communication technologies (ICTs)."
They will hold their second thematic briefing on "Countering Terrorism Financing Online—threats and opportunities related to new payment technologies and fundraising methods" and their third thematic briefing on "Threats posed by terrorist use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS)."
They will next conduct broad considerations for the prevention of the use of novel and developing technology by terrorists.
The meeting is also expected to witness interventions from members of the Counter-Terrorism Committee, interventions from other member states, and participation from other attendees.
As per the official statement from the UNSC Counter-Terrorism Committee, the Special Meeting will be held in the UN's six official languages and will be accessible to the entire organization's membership as well as other pertinent stakeholders, such as CTED's Global Research Network members and organizations from other nations and regions as well as the United Nations.
The sessions will provide attendees the opportunity to talk about risks that are currently present and those that are developing, how new and emerging technology is being used to combat those threats, ongoing problems, and best practices, as well as a variety of relevant human rights and gender issues.