INTRODUCTION
During the 12th Annual Summit held virtually in 2020, the BRICS Counter Terrorism Strategy was endorsed. The BRICS Counter Terrorism Strategy laid down that the BRICS Counter Terrorism Working Group (CTWG) may discuss to consider elaborating a Plan of Action containing specific measures to implement the BRICS CT Strategy fully and effectively in due course. Accordingly, within the framework of the BRICS Counter Terrorism Strategy, a BRICS Counter Terrorism Action Plan has been prepared. The BRICS Counter Terrorism Action Plan defines the approach and actions of the BRICS countries towards areas of Counter Terrorism cooperation. This, inter-alia, includes ensuring coordinated efforts to understand, identify and collaboratively respond to persistent and emerging terrorist threats, besides, seeking cooperation among the intelligence, law enforcement and security agencies of the BRICS countries, as well as cooperation within the framework of the UN and other multilateral Counter Terrorism fora. The following actions are envisaged for BRICS Counter Terrorism cooperation under the Action Plan.
AREAS OF COOPERATION
(A) Combating Terrorism
1. Condemning terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, committed by whomever, wherever and for whatever motives and purposes.
2. Strengthening national legal frameworks in line with the relevant UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions on counter terrorism.
3. Calling upon all nations to take appropriate measures to prevent the use of their territories for terrorist bases or the perpetration or organisation of terrorist acts intended to be committed against other States or their citizens.
4. Considering undertaking concerted measures against those involved in organising, instigating, facilitating, participating in, financing, encouraging or tolerating terrorist activities.
5. Rejecting double standards in countering terrorism and extremism conducive to terrorism.
6. Promoting cooperation among the BRICS countries in combating terrorism through capacity building workshops, expert level meetings, training of experts, developing toolkits and handbooks etc.
7. Pursuing a comprehensive approach to preventing and combating terrorism and promoting social resilience as well as measures that may be necessary to support and protect victims of terrorism.
8. Exchanging best practices in relation to counter terrorism efforts, including investigation of terrorism cases for enhancing cooperation among law enforcement and intelligence agencies of the BRICS countries.
9. Exchanging best practices with regard to countering the activities, movement and finances of terrorist entities and individuals.
10. Promoting cooperation among BRICS countries in investigation and criminal prosecution of terrorists.
11. Strengthening cooperation and coordination in combating crimes that might be connected with terrorism.
12. Sharing experiences regarding monitoring and addressing the impacts of Covid-19 Pandemic on the evolution of the terrorists threats.
13. Exchanging best practices aimed at addressing conditions conducive to the spread of terrorism and extremism conducive to terrorism, interalia, including by means of education, socio-economic development, skills development, employment facilitation, poverty reduction, rehabilitation etc, while recognizing that none of the conditions can excuse or justify acts of terrorism and extremism conducive to terrorism.
14. Strengthening the cooperation in preventing further geographical expansion of terrorism and addressing the threats posed by terrorists returning from conflict zones to countries of departure or traveling to third countries.
(B) Preventing and Countering Radicalization
1. Promoting cooperation among the BRICS countries in accordance with the principles of international law by establishing, where appropriate, public private partnerships while recognizing the primary role of States and their competent authorities in preventing and countering terrorism, extremist ideas conducive to terrorism and radicalization in a coordinated manner.
2. Enhancing response to the threats emanating from the spread of terrorist narratives and the misuse of the internet and social media for terrorist purposes; recruitment, radicalisation and incitement of individuals, groups and communities, especially young people.
3. Developing the most effective means to counter terrorist narratives and propaganda, in particular prohibiting the incitement to terrorism, as well as repudiating attempts to justify or glorify terrorism.
4. Promoting initiatives on sharing best practices of national governments, case studies, and references to existing international and regional measures to preventing and countering radicalization, including in penitentiary institutions.
(C) Preventing and Countering Online Terrorist Threats
1. Strengthening cooperation among BRICS countries in countering misuse of internet and other information and communication technologies (ICT) for propaganda, radicalization and recruitment by terrorist groups.
2. Exchanging best practices in countering terrorist activities to radicalize youth including effective monitoring of illicit content online; disseminating counter-narratives and disrupting the propaganda of terrorist and extremist ideas conducive to terrorism.
3. Exchanging best practices on identification of extremist and terrorist activities online and disrupting the chain of radicalization.
4. Sharing information on the use of emerging technology and applications including dark net, encrypted services, anonymity services, websites and social media applications etc. by terrorists and terrorists groups.
5. Developing capabilities in the application of cyber and digital forensics in the investigation of online terrorism offenses.
6. Discussing the ways and means of working with social media service providers in order for them to reduce the accessibility of extremist and terrorist content online, including by blocking, filtering or removing such content, as well as to share details about the users posting such content.
(D) Countering Terrorism Financing
1. Strengthening BRICS countries’ capabilities to address terrorism- organized crime nexus, where applicable, to disrupt illicit funding of terrorists.
2. Cooperating in preventing movement of illegal funds across borders, freeze terrorist assets, and suppress illicit trade and trafficking in drugs, arms, cultural property and other resources.
3. Exchanging information on the sources and channels of terrorist financing, including suspicious hawala operators, travel agencies, money changers etc.
4. Developing a Handbook on the Integration of Financial Intelligence and Risk Assessment and strengthening capabilities of financial and banking sectors to safeguard their activities from terrorist abuse.
5. Exchanging best practices for suppressing the financing of terrorism including through emerging and new methods such as online crowd funding, digital payments, dark web, crypto currencies, etc.
6. Promoting, as appropriate, effective public-private partnerships for exchange of information on countering terrorism financing between competent national authorities and the private sector.
(E) Preventing/Curbing Travel Of Terrorists
1. Preventing the movement of terrorists in the territories of the BRICS countries.
2. Exchanging best practices on immigration control to monitor and disrupt the movement of terrorists through all possible entry points like airports, maritime ports and land routes.
3. Exchanging national experiences in the implementation and operation of Advance Passenger Information (API) and Passenger Name Record (PNR).
4. Sharing of experience on the challenges faced in the prosecution of terrorist-fighters returnees and their family members, where applicable, and evolving a handbook of best practices on this issue.
(F) Border Management
1. Implementing effective border security and management to prevent and counter the flow of known and suspected terrorists.
2. Strengthening border and customs control at regular custom ports/entry points to prevent and detect cross-border movement of terrorist, illicit trafficking of cultural property, trafficking in persons, as well as the illicit trade in natural resources including gold and other precious metals and stones, minerals, charcoal and oil, and illicit trafficking in wild life, CBRNE materials, for terrorist purposes.
3. Enhancing the skill and capacity of Screeners in detecting document fraud and profiling at regular custom ports/entry points and sharing good practices and national experiences in this area.
(G) Capacity Building
1. Cooperating in capacity building of security, law enforcement and intelligence personnel of BRICS countries through counter terrorism training, joint exercises and expertise sharing.
2. Enhancing investigative capacities to utilize information on internet and social media related to terrorists for purposes of criminal prosecution.
3. Developing training modules on gathering evidence from digital devices under cyber attacks and investigation on dark web and encrypted terrorist communication.
4. Providing capacity building assistance in areas of concern including counter radicalization, countering terrorist use of the internet and investigation of terrorist cases.
5. Pursuing and sharing research in the areas of preventing and countering terrorism for better understanding the challenges and possible solutions.
6. Developing a pool of best practices and case studies on various aspects of counter terrorism
(H) Protecting Soft Targets
1. Developing a compendium of good practices on protection of soft targets including religious centers, public places and places with high footfalls against terrorist attacks.
(I) Information/ Intelligence Sharing
1. Strengthening cooperation mechanisms among the BRICS countries to exchange information/ intelligence in terror cases perpetrated by terrorist organisations and individuals proscribed by the UN Security Council, in particular those whose activities are aimed against BRICS countries and pose threat to them.
2. Cooperating to prevent the activities of the terrorist groups and individuals in respect of their movement, monitoring the fund flows, freezing of assets and for their designations/ proscriptions as terror organisations and individuals.
(J) International and Regional Cooperation
1. Working towards an early finalization and adoption of the UN Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.
2. Supporting the central and coordinating role of the UN in combating international terrorism and full implementation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions related to counter terrorism.
3. Recognising the role of the regional organizations and regional cooperation in countering the threat of terrorism.
4. Cooperating within the framework of international and multilateral bodies like the UN, G-20, INTERPOL etc.
IMPLEMENTATION MECHANISM
1. The Sub-Groups under the BRICS Counter Terrorism Working Group (CTWG) shall identify specific activities to be carried out under this Action Plan. Based on the recommendation of the Sub-Groups, an annual activity Calender shall be framed by the BRICS CTWG, which shall also review the implementation of the approved activities. The BRICS CTWG, on its own may also identify specific activities and review their implementation given its comprehensive political guidance to all related activities.
2. BRICS countries shall designate a nodal agency and focal points for implementation of activities envisaged by this Action Plan.
3. Implementation of the activities envisaged by the Action Plan shall be in accordance with the BRICS countries’ national legal framework, where applicable.