India had previously chaired the committee in 2012

After a ten-year hiatus, India will once again chair the UN Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Committee in January 2022.

The leadership of the committee has significance for India, as the government has been advocating on a worldwide scale for steps to combat terrorism.

India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, TS Tirumurti had announced earlier this year that India will head three critical UN Security Council committees in 2020-22, including the Taliban Sanctions Committee, the Libya Sanctions Committee, and the Counter-Terrorism Committee.

In November 2020, Tirumurti had said over 75 countries have co-sponsored India's annual resolution on counter-terrorism and that it was unanimously adopted by the United Nations General Assembly's First Committee.

The Counter-Terrorism Committee was established in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks in the United States with the unanimous adoption of the Security Council Resolution 1373 on September 28, 2001.

The Committee was tasked with overseeing the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1373, which called for countries to take a number of steps to improve their legal and institutional capacity to combat terrorist activities at home and abroad.

This includes taking steps to criminalise terrorism financing, freezing any funds linked to individuals involved in terrorist acts, denying all forms of financial support to terrorist groups, prohibiting the provision of safe haven, sustenance, or support to terrorists, and sharing information with other governments on any groups that are currently committing or planning terrorist acts.

In addition, the Committee examines actions taken to collaborate with other governments in the investigation, detection, arrest, extradition, and prosecution of those involved in terrorist attacks, as well as the criminalization of active and passive terrorism assistance.

India will serve as a non-permanent member of the 15-member Security Council till the end of 2022. At international forums, New Delhi has been speaking out against terrorism. It recently stated at the UN that it would continue to take robust and decisive measures against terrorism sponsored by Pakistan.