Globally recognised state sponsors of terrorism used COVID-19 to ramp up recruitment: India at UNSC

Globally recognised state sponsors of terrorism have used the COVID-19 pandemic to increase recruitment and infiltration activities to spread the "venom of terror", while India and other nations launched vaccination drives and are assisting others during the global health crisis, India said at the UN Security Council on Monday, in a veiled reference to Pakistan.

India's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Nagaraj Naidu made the comments while speaking at the UN Security Council briefing on 'Maintenance of international peace and security: Follow-up on the implementation of resolution 2532'.

"While countries like India have launched vaccination drives and assisted others during the pandemic, there are countries which continue to foment terror and indulge in hate speech and widespread disinformation campaigns," Naidu said.

"While we are working with the scientific community, medical fraternity, industry and academia to find solutions to COVID-19, these globally recognised state sponsors of terrorism have used the pandemic to ramp up recruitment and infiltration activity to spread the venom of terror. The international community needs to hold these countries accountable for their actions," he said.

Naidu noted that India is "glad" that Resolution 2532 had the "foresight" to recognise the threats posed by such state sponsors of terrorism and ensured that the Secretary General's global ceasefire call did not apply to Council listed individuals and terrorist entities.

After nearly three months of differences and negotiations, the UN Security Council had in July last year unanimously adopted the first COVID-19-related resolution, demanding a general and immediate cessation of hostilities around the world.

Through the resolution 2532 (2020), the 15-member organ had called upon all parties to armed conflicts to engage immediately in a durable humanitarian pause for at least 90 consecutive days, to enable the safe, unhindered and sustained delivery of humanitarian assistance, and provision of related services by impartial humanitarian actors, in accordance with the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence.

The pause would also have enabled medical evacuations, in accordance with international law, including international humanitarian and refugee law as applicable.

The resolution had affirmed that the ''general and immediate'' cessation of hostilities and humanitarian pause ''do not apply to military operations against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as Da'esh), Al Qaeda and Al Nusra Front (ANF), and all other individuals, groups, undertakings and entities associated with Al Qaeda or ISIL, and other terrorist groups, which have been designated by the Security Council.'' Naidu said while the Secretary General's noble call for a global ceasefire and the 90-day humanitarian pause was well intentioned, many of the ceasefires announced in the wake of the call were not negotiated and as such have since expired or in some cases broken down.

''In conflict situations, we have seen no let-up in fighting, and in some cases, conflicts have only intensified. It is important that the call by the Secretary-General is heeded to," he said.

India reiterated its call for a comprehensive ceasefire in Afghanistan.

Naidu noted that the pandemic has disrupted humanitarian aid flows and threatened hard-won development and peacebuilding gains.

"In fragile and conflict affected states with weak governing institutions and faltering health systems, the pandemic has had a devastating impact on the vulnerable sections, particularly women, children, the elderly and those with disabilities," he said.

Naidu said that COVID-19 has also highlighted vulnerabilities of States to deal with threats posed by the misuse of social media, disinformation campaigns, possible opportunities for bioterrorism, and cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)