New Delhi, (Asian independent) India, a key player in the world’s fight against terrorism, will now chair the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee in 2022, and seek to ensure the global response to the menace remains “unambiguous, undivided and effective”.
India will be represented by its envoy to the UN, T.S. Tirumurti.
“As the chair for CTC for 2022, India will make determined efforts to further enhance the role of the CTC in strengthening the multilateral response to counter-terrorism, and more importantly, ensuring that the global response to the threat of terrorism remains unambiguous, undivided, and effective,” an official statement read after its election as chair of the CTC.
The CTC, established by Resolution 1373 (2001) in September 2001 in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, is tasked with monitoring the implementation of resolution 1373 (2001), which requested countries to implement a number of measures intended to enhance their legal and institutional ability to counter terrorist activities at home, in their regions, and around the world. It comprises all 15 members of the Security Council – the five permanent members as well as India, Vietnam, Norway, Nigeria, and Tunisia among others.
Tirumurti is a career diplomat with extensive experience. Since joining the Indian Foreign Service in 1985 he has served in numerous capacities, including in the Indian Embassy in Egypt, at the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in Geneva, as India’s first Representative of India to the Palestinian Authority, as Counsellor in the Indian Embassy in the US, as Deputy Chief of Mission in the Indian Embassy in Indonesia, and as High Commissioner of India to Malaysia.
He also served as Under Secretary, Bhutan, Director in the Office of the Foreign Secretary, Joint Secretary, Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka), and Joint Secretary, United Nations Economic and Social Council in the Ministry of External Affairs.
Prior to taking up his current position as Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations in May 2020, he served as Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, handling the Economic Relations portfolio (which included, inter alia, the Gulf and the Arab World, Africa, and India’s Development Partnerships).
