тАШTerrorism has become a significant threat to global peace and security.тАЩ Evaluate the effectiveness of the United Nations Security CouncilтАЩs Counter Terrorism Committee (CTC) and its associated bodies in addressing and mitigating this threat at the international level.
Approach ┬╖ directive: тАЬevaluateтАЭ
What it asks ┬╖ Evaluate how far the UNSC's Counter-Terrorism Committee and related bodies (CTED, sanctions committees, UNOCT) have countered terrorism тАФ successes, shortcomings and reforms.
It asks 2 things тАФ answer each
- Set out the CTC and its associated bodies: mandate and architecture
- Evaluate their effectiveness against terrorism: achievements, shortcomings, and a verdict with reforms
Open with ┬╖ On 28 September 2001 the Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1373 under Chapter VII and set up the Counter-Terrorism Committee.
Cover
- Architecture (table): CTC with CTED (Resolution 1373, 2001); ISIL/Al-Qaida sanctions committee; 1540 Committee; UNOCT (GA Resolution 71/291, 2017).
- Achievements: near-universal counter-terror laws and financing controls aligned with FATF; sanctions with asset freezes and travel bans; capacity building.
- New threats: under India's chairship the CTC unanimously adopted the Delhi Declaration (October 2022) on drones, social media and crowdfunding.
- No agreed definition: the draft CCIT, backed by India, under negotiation since a 1996 Ad Hoc Committee.
- Selective listing: technical holds by permanent members; Masood Azhar listed only on 1 May 2019.
- State-dependent enforcement, sponsorship and safe havens; due-process concerns; online radicalisation and crypto financing outpace rules.
- Way forward: adopt the CCIT, end holds, fund CTED assistance, link FATF and regional bodies.
Close with ┬╖ The General Assembly's December 2024 call (Resolution 79/129) for a working group to finalise the CCIT, with impartial listings, would turn the CTC's framework into real deterrence.
Add value (verified)
- UN: the CTC was created when the Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1373 under Chapter VII on 28 September 2001.Security Council тАФ Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC), United Nations тЖЧтАЬthe Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 1373 (2001) under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, defining a broad counter-terrorism mandate for the international community.тАЭ
- The CTC unanimously adopted the Delhi Declaration on new and emerging technologies at its special meeting in India (29 October 2022).Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee adopts Delhi Declaration - UN CTED тЖЧтАЬthe Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) unanimously adopted the Delhi Declaration on countering the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposesтАЭ
- Delhi Declaration focus: drones, social media platforms and crowdfunding.Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee adopts Delhi Declaration - UN CTED тЖЧтАЬThe declaration aims to cover the main concerns surrounding the abuse of drones, social media platforms, and crowdfundingтАЭ
- UNOCT was established on 15 June 2017 by GA Resolution 71/291.About us - UN Office of Counter-Terrorism тЖЧтАЬThe United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) was established on 15 June 2017 through the adoption of UN General Assembly Resolution 71/291тАЭ
- Masood Azhar was listed by the ISIL/Al-Qaida sanctions committee on 1 May 2019.Mohammed Masood Azhar Alvi - UN Security Council sanctions list (narrative summary) тЖЧтАЬMohammed Masood Azhar Alvi was listed on 1 May 2019тАЭ
- CCIT negotiations: Ad Hoc Committee set up in 1996; in December 2024 the GA recommended a working group to finalise the draft convention.International Terrorism: Ad Hoc Committee established by GA resolution 51/210 - UN Office of Legal Affairs тЖЧтАЬIn its resolution 79/129 of 4 December 2024, the General Assembly decided to recommend that the Sixth Committee, at the eightieth session of the General Assembly, establish a working group with a view to finalizing the process on the draft comprehensive convention on international terrorismтАЭ
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2024, GS Paper II тАФ paper тЖЧ. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 3 Oct 2026 (how we verify) тАФ UPSC publishes no model answers. ┬╖
Model answer┬╖ 308words ┬╖ Minimalist IAS
On 28 September 2001, after the 9/11 attacks, the Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1373 under Chapter VII, obliging every state to criminalise terrorism and its financing, and set up the Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC). Its record shows what global rules can do, and where politics stops them.
The CTC and its associated bodies
| Body | Basis | Role |
|---|---|---|
| CTC with its Executive Directorate (CTED) | Resolution 1373 (2001) | Monitors states; assesses gaps |
| ISIL and Al-Qaida Sanctions Committee | Security Council sanctions | Asset freezes, travel bans |
| UN Office of Counter-Terrorism | GA Resolution 71/291 (2017) | Capacity building |
- The 1540 Committee adds a watch on weapons of mass destruction reaching non-state actors.
Effectiveness: achievements
- Global legal floor: near-universal counter-terror laws and financing controls, aligned with FATF standards.
- Sanctions that bite: listings freeze assets and restrict the travel of terrorists and their backers.
- Capacity building: CTED assessments and UNOCT programmes help weaker states close gaps.
- Adapting to technology: under India's chairship, the CTC unanimously adopted the Delhi Declaration (October 2022) on terrorist abuse of drones, social media and crowdfunding.
Effectiveness: shortcomings
- No definition: the draft Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT), backed by India, has been negotiated since an Ad Hoc Committee was set up in 1996, without agreement.
- Selective listing: 'technical holds' by permanent members delay designations; Masood Azhar was listed only on 1 May 2019.
- State-dependent enforcement: state sponsorship, safe havens and weak capacity blunt the framework.
- Due process: listings without fair hearing raise human-rights concerns.
- Emerging gaps: lone actors, online radicalisation and crypto financing outpace the rules.
Way forward
- Reforms: adopt the CCIT, end technical holds on listings, fund CTED's technical assistance, and link FATF and regional bodies more closely.
In December 2024 the General Assembly (Resolution 79/129) recommended a working group to finalise the CCIT. Closing that deal, and listing terrorists without political holds, would turn the CTC's framework into real deterrence.
Prepared by Minimalist IAS to the answer standard of Shivam Singh (mentor, 7 years) ┬╖ facts checked against official sources (how we verify) ┬╖ updated 3 Oct 2026. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.
