India's TS Tirumurti named new Chair of United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee

In a key development, India's permanent representative to the United Nations, TS Tirumurti, was named the new Chair of the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) on Tuesday. Prior to taking up his current position as Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations, in May 2020, Tirumurti served as Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, handling the Economic Relations portfolio (which included, inter alia, the Gulf and the Arab World, Africa, and India’s Development Partnership).

Tirumurti previously served at the Embassy of India to Egypt, in Cairo; at the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in Geneva; as the first Representative of India to the Palestinian Authority, in Gaza; as Counsellor in the Embassy of India to the United States, in Washington. DC; as Deputy Chief of Mission in the Embassy of India to Indonesia, in Jakarta; and as High Commissioner of India to Malaysia, in Kuala Lumpur.

Tirumurti also served as Under Secretary (Bhutan), Director (Office of the Foreign Secretary), Joint Secretary (Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar and Sri Lanka), and Joint Secretary (United Nations Economic and Social Council) during his service in the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, in New Delhi.

India at forefront of counter-terrorism at UN platforms

Beginning 1 January 2022, India is chairing the Counter-Terrorism Committee. Former Indian Ambassador to the UN, Hardeep Singh Puri, had chaired the CTC for the term 2011-12.

“As the Chair of CTC for 2022, India will make determined efforts to further enhance the role of CTC in strengthening the multilateral response to counter-terrorism, and more importantly, ensuring that global response to the threat of terrorism remains unambiguous, undivided and effective," the Indian government had said in a statement. 

India had called on the UN Member States to remain “united against the tendency of labelling acts of terrorism" based on its motivation. "Such categorisation will lead the global community back to the pre-9/11 era of “my terrorist” versus “your terrorist”,” India said in the statement, adding, “We cannot allow anyone anywhere to provide any kind of justification for terrorist acts. Combating terrorism must be at the centre of Our Common Agenda, not at its periphery.” 

The CTC is assisted by the Executive Directorate (CTED), which carries out its policy decisions and conducts expert assessments of the 193 United Nations Member States.