The G20 (Group of 20) members condemned terrorism in all forms and recognized that it constitutes one of the more “serious threats to international peace and security,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on the first day of the G20 Summit.
During the historic New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration, the G20 countries reached an agreement on various issues, including the contentious Russia-Ukraine matter, marking a significant achievement for India’s presidency. In a joint press conference with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant, Jaishankar reiterated the leaders’ strong condemnation of terrorism.
The G20 New Delhi Declaration stated, “We condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, including acts rooted in xenophobia, racism, or intolerance, as well as those perpetrated in the name of religion or belief. This recognition extends to all religions’ commitment to peace, highlighting that terrorism represents one of the gravest threats to international peace and security.”
The leaders pledged to bolster international cooperation to deny safe havens, financial support, and any form of assistance to terrorist groups. They firmly condemned terrorist acts against critical infrastructure, such as energy facilities and other vulnerable targets, underscoring that terrorism, regardless of its motivation or perpetrators, is unequivocally criminal and unjustifiable.
The declaration emphasized that effective counterterrorism measures, support for terrorism victims, and the protection of human rights are not conflicting objectives but mutually reinforcing. It stressed the need for a comprehensive approach rooted in international law to effectively combat terrorism and called for strengthened international collaboration to deprive terrorist groups of safe havens, operational freedom, recruitment opportunities, and financial, material, or political backing.
Additionally, at the press conference, the EAM referred to paragraphs 74, and 75 of the declaration and said, “I would draw your attention to paragraphs 74 and 75 of the leaders’ declaration. 75 speaks about the role of the FATF (Financial Action Task Force) because clearly, the financing of terrorism is a very strong concern that the entire international community, not just the G 20 shares. The 74 deals with illicit trafficking and diversion of small arms and light weapons. So I think these are concerns. So within the G 20, I think these conversations are quite helpful, but obviously, in terms of policy action, they will be carried into their mechanisms and forums which focus on the issue.”
The 74th and 75th paragraphs of the New Delhi Declaration read, “We also express concern about illicit trafficking and diversion of small arms and light weapons. International cooperation among States is critical to combat these phenomena, including export, import controls, and tracing. We commit to supporting the increasing resource needs of the FATF and FATF Style Regional Bodies and encourage others to do the same, including for the next round of mutual evaluations.”
The G20 members reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the revised FATF Standards on beneficial ownership transparency, aimed at making it more challenging for criminals to conceal and launder illicit gains. They welcomed the FATF’s efforts to enhance global criminal proceeds recovery and asset recovery network reinforcement.
Furthermore, the G20 countries stressed the significance of developing and implementing effective regulatory and supervisory frameworks for managing risks associated with virtual assets, in line with FATF Standards, particularly concerning terrorism financing, money laundering, and proliferation financing risks.
The G20 members expressed their support for the FATF’s initiatives, including the “travel rule,” and its work on emerging technologies and innovations like decentralized finance (DeFi) arrangements and peer-to-peer transactions, as outlined in their joint declaration. (Inputs from ANI)