India announces UN counter terror fund contribution

India will contribute half a million dollars to the United Nations' efforts to counter global terrorism. The money will go toward the UN Trust Fund for Counter Terrorism and will further strengthen the organization's fight against terrorism, the Indian foreign minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said as he addressed a special meeting of the UN Counter Terrorism Committee in New Delhi on Saturday.

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Indian Foreign Minister: "I am happy to announce that India will be making a voluntary contribution of half a million dollars in the UN Trust Fund for Counter-Terrorism this year to augment the efforts of UNOCT in providing capacity, building support to Member States and preventing and countering the threat of terrorism."

Jaishankar said new technologies, like encrypted messaging services and blockchain, are increasingly being misused by terror groups and malicious actors, sparking an urgent need for the international community to adopt measures to combat the threats. He also highlighted the growing threat from the use of unmanned aerial systems such as drones by terror groups and criminal organizations, calling them a challenge for security agencies worldwide.