India urges UNSC to adopt zero tolerance to terrorism and movement of illicit weapons

By R Anil Kumar

New York/ Bengaluru. India has urged the UN Security Council to adopt a zero-tolerance approach toward entities that facilitate, sponsor, or finance the movement of illicit weapons, in a statement delivered by its Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Parvathaneni Harish. The remarks came hours after a deadly explosion near the Red Fort in New Delhi, which killed at least nine people and injured several others.

Cross-border terrorism highlighted:

Speaking at the UN Security Council Open Debate on Small Arms, Harish highlighted India’s long struggle against terrorism, emphasising the threat posed by illicit arms trafficking. “India has suffered due to cross-border terrorism carried out using illicit weapons trafficked across our borders, including now through the use of drones,” he said, a thinly-veiled reference to Pakistan.

Harish noted that terrorists and armed non-state actors cannot sustain themselves without external support, funding, or access to weapons. He stressed that the illicit trade and diversion of small arms and light weapons remain a major factor sustaining armed groups worldwide.

Need for global cooperation and action:

India underscored that international cooperation is essential to prevent weapon diversion, disrupt trafficking networks, strengthen border controls, and ensure timely intelligence and information sharing. Harish called for consistent and objective implementation of UN arms embargoes, describing them as vital tools to restrict the flow of weapons into conflict zones.

He emphasised that the issue is multidimensional, affecting development, security, humanitarian, and socio-economic aspects. Effective management requires both security measures and developmental interventions, including strong national legislation, coordinated organisational structures, real-time data management, risk prevention, and stockpile security.

Strengthening UN frameworks:

Harish reiterated India’s support for global efforts under the UN Programme of Action (PoA) and the International Tracing Instrument (ITI). He stressed the importance of national legislative measures, enforcement, export controls, capacity building, and international information sharing to prevent the misuse of small arms and light weapons by terrorist groups.

“The Security Council must continue to uphold a zero-tolerance approach to terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and to those who facilitate, sponsor, finance or enable the use and movement of such weapons,” he said.

India’s call highlights the continuing threat of cross-border terrorism and illicit arms trafficking, particularly following the high-intensity attack in New Delhi, and signals New Delhi’s commitment to contributing to the global fight against terrorism.