Counter
Terrorism Committee (CTC)
Welcome Note:
As director CTC I, Mustafa Naseem, take great pleasure in welcoming you all for SMAMUN ’06. The host team for the conference has taken all possible efforts to ensure a good quality conference in a healthy atmosphere, and now it is up to you, the delegates, to ensure a good quality debate. I am sure that each and every delegate will live up to our expectations and fulfill his/her duties as ambassador of his/her respective country in the best possible manner.
I have been affiliated with the world of MUNs since December ’04, when I attended my first MUN at LUMS. From that time, I’ve worked long hours to spread the workings of MUNs in the Pindi/Islamabad region. I co-founded the SMAMUN society, and was chosen as its first president. I was also the Secretary General of the first MUN in the region (SMAMUN ’05). I was chosen as the director for the first ever Intra Saint Mary’s MUN held in February ’05. It wished to become the director of the regional MUNs organized by SMAMUN and thus I applied for the directorship of the CTC.
The CTC is probably the most active committee in the UN today; with every current issue having some sort of connection with the committee. I hope that you will like the topics I have chosen for you to discuss, and that you will come up to date with current events in order to be ready to face any crisis situation that may be given to you. Please don’t be hesitant to contact regarding any query that you may have regarding the topics.
Regards,
Mustafa Naseem.
Introduction:
The increase in terrorist
activities in the past decade led the Security Council to form a specialized
committee to minimize the threat of the above stated activities. The 15 member
Counter Terrorism Committee was formed in the wake of the September 11 attacks
on the United States. The ultimate aim of the Committee is to increase the ability of
States to fight terrorism, but it is not a sanctions body nor does it maintain a
list of terrorist organizations or individuals. The
Counter-Terrorism Committee derives its mandate from Security Council resolution
1373
(2001), which was adopted unanimously on 28 September 2001.
Through
this resolution, the Council imposed certain obligations on Member States and
called for additional measures in the area of counter-terrorism. These include
the criminalization of terrorism-related activities and provision of assistance
to carry out those acts, denial of funding and safe haven to terrorists and
exchange of information on terrorist groups.
The
resolution also established the Counter-Terrorism Committee, composed of the 15
Council delegations, to monitor States’ implementation of the resolution and,
where necessary, to facilitate the provision of relevant technical assistance to
Member States.
Topic Area A: Suppression
of Nuclear Terrorism.
Nuclear terrorism is currently the most
destructive form of terrorism. Nuclear terrorism can result in the gravest
consequences and poses a threat to international peace and security. There is an
urgent need to enhance international cooperation between states in devising and
adopting effective and practical measures for the prevention of such acts of
terrorism and for the prosecution and punishment of their perpetrators.
Nuclear terrorism can take a variety of forms. Terrorists can develop
nuclear bombs or steal them from nuclear reactors around the globe. The
committee will discuss the protection of radioactive material and nuclear sites,
taking into account relevant recommendations and functions of the International
Atomic Energy Agency.
The committee will review the threat of nuclear terrorism in great detail, discussing each and every aspect that may be relevant to countering this threat. It is the role of this committee to outline the actions that need to be taken by state parties in order to prevent acts of nuclear terrorism. While deciding these instructions, the committee needs to keep in mind that this resolution should not affect other rights, obligations and responsibilities of states and individuals under international law, in particular the purposes and principles of the charter of the United Nations and international humanitarian law.
Aspects that should be considered in the
resolution:
1.
Transfer of technical knowledge to other state parties (signatories of
this resolution) to counter this threat
2.
State parties should make all criminal activities outlined in this
resolution illegal, even if it means the alteration of national law for e.g.
“Each state party shall take such measures as may be necessary to establish
its jurisdiction over the offences set forth by the committee”
3.
State parties should take appropriate action when given knowledge of the
presence of illegal nuclear material/ convicted personnel in their territories.
4.
And all such relevant instructions…
Topic
Area B: Suppression
of unlawful acts against the safety of civil aviation.
Hijacking air planes to serve unlawful purposes has been carried out for quite a long time; in fact the first hijacking of a commercial air plane took place as far back as 1931. The first major series of hijacking started in 1958, when planes flying into Cuba were diverted to the USA and later on a change of route took place. The international civil aviation organization (ICAO) was established in 1944 to ensure safe and orderly growth of international civil aviation. It has passed a series of conventions in order to minimize the threat of terrorism in air borne flights. Even with all the security measures being adopted the world over, there remains to be a sizeable threat to travelers traveling on air planes. If this threat wasn’t enough stress on the minds of innocent civilians simply hoping to get from one place to the other, now they have to go through extreme security checks which tend to take up to several hours.
On the 11th of August 2006, a suspected plot was disrupted by the British authorities with help from the international community, in particular Pakistan. 24 people were arrested straight off in connection with the suspected plot, of which the assets of 19 suspects were frozen by the Bank of England. Most of the people arrested were of Muslims of Pakistani origin. There were flight cancellations and intense security measures were adopted. Hand luggage was not allowed to be boarded on the aircraft, and any important things that had to be boarded were to be placed in transparent plastic bags. There were intense security checks at Heathrow, with traveler having to wait in 2 hour long cues.
Keeping in mind the recent events at Heathrow airport, London on 11th August 2006, and the security measures being placed immediately afterwards, the committee needs to decide whether human rights laws were violated or not. The committee needs to decide whether it is right to suspect every Muslim, whether it is right to link every bearded man with terrorism. In the end the committee needs to decide what measures should be taken to ensure air travel security while safeguarding human rights.
Questions that the resolution should
answer:
1.
What measures need to be taken to ensure air travel security
while safe guarding human rights?
2.
What kind of security should be present on board in case a
suspect manages to pass through airport security?
3.
How to crack plots that may disrupt international peace and
security? Whether an intelligence agency is required to transfer information to
the relevant authorities if such information is intercepted.
4.
Outline the category of people who can be linked with
terrorist activities, for e.g. “Any person who directly or indirectly collects
funds with the intention that they should be used for unlawful purposes on
airports and aircrafts”
5.
What other
instruments should be kept on board other then the black box in order to
identify the mode of terrorism used, in case a terror plot succeeds according to
plan.
Delegates should refer to the Tokyo Convention* (14th September 1963), the Hague Convention** (16 December 1970), the Montreal Convention*** (23rd September 1971).
* Tokyo Convention also known as ‘Convention on offenses and certain other acts committed on Board aircraft’
** The Hague Convention is also know as ‘Convention for the suppression of unlawful seizure of aircraft’
*** The Montreal Convention is also known as ‘Convention for the suppression of unlawful acts against the safety of Civil Aviation’