Global Terrorism Index

Global Terrorism Index
 

News: India ranks 13th on The Global Terrorism Index (GTI). The report shows that Afghanistan continues to be the country most affected by terrorism for the 4th year in a row, even though attacks and deaths decreased.
 

Background:

The GTI report is produced by the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP), a think tank, using data from Terrorism Tracker and other sources.
 

Key Findings:

→ Globally, deaths from terrorism fell by 9% to 6,701 deaths, marking a 38% decrease from its peak in 2015.

→ Pakistan recorded the second largest surge in terror-related deaths worldwide in 2022, the toll increasing significantly to 643.

→ South Asia remains the region with the worst average GTI score. South Asia recorded 1,354 deaths from terrorism in 2022.

→ Islamic State (IS) and its affiliates were the deadliest terror group globally for the eighth consecutive year, recording the most attacks and deaths of any group in 2022.
 

Challenges:

→ The members of the United Nations Security Council (P5) have exercised the veto power to varying degrees when it comes to identifying terrorists.

→ Absence of universally accepted definitions for what constitutes terrorism provides terrorists with an edge and allows some countries to remain silent and veto any action at global institutions.

→ According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank, criminals are estimated to launder up to four trillion dollars a year. Fund movements by terrorists have also been concealed through charities and alternative remittance methods.

→ Innovations in computing and telecommunications like widespread internet access, end-to-end encryption, and virtual private network (VPN) have made new types of operations possible for a higher number of radicalized individuals across the globe, contributing to the threat.
 

Way Forward

→ A universal definition of terrorism is needed so that all members of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) can incorporate it into their own criminal laws and take time bound and strict actions.

→ In 1986, India proposed a draft document on the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) at the UN. However, it is yet to be adopted by the UNGA.