Lucknow Declaration

• 07 Feb 2020

Why in News

India and 50 African countries adopted the ‘Lucknow Declaration’ at first India – Africa Defence Minister’s Conclave.

• The Conclave was held on the sidelines of the ongoing DefExpo 2020 (5^th to 9^th February, 2020) in Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh).

Highlights of the Declaration

• Peace and Security
  
  • All the signatories committed to continue their collaboration in the fields of peace and security including conflict prevention, resolution, management and peacebuilding.
  • It also aims to enhance the role of women in peacekeeping.
• Maritime Security
  
  • To exchange expertise and trainers, strengthening regional and continental early warning capacities and mechanisms.
• Terrorism
  
  • Terrorism is a major threat in the region and thus aims to take resolute action in rooting out terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, eliminating financing channels and halting cross-border movement of terrorists.
  • It also urges the international community to envisage the adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
• Importance of Indo-Pacific:
  
  • To encourage enhanced cooperation between India and Africa on the evolving concept of Indo-Pacific.
• India’s SAGAR:
  
  • It also welcomes the African Unions’ vision for peace and security in Africa that coincides with India’s vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for all in the Region).
    
    • SAGAR is an articulation of India’s vision for the Indian Ocean.
    • SAGAR has elements such as enhancement of capacities to safeguard land and maritime territories & interests; deepening economic and security cooperation in the littoral; action to deal with natural disasters and maritime threats like piracy, terrorism.
• Compliance at UNSC:
  
  • To strengthenth the UN Counter-Terrorism mechanisms and to ensure strict compliance with the the UN Security Council sanctions regime on terrorism.

Origin and Status of Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT)

• India has pushed for an intergovernmental convention to enhance prosecution and extradition of terrorists since 1996.
• Although consensus eludes towards the adoption of the terrorism convention, discussions have yielded three separate protocols that aim to tackle terrorism:
  
  • International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombings, adopted on 15 December 1997;
  • International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism, adopted on 9 December 1999;
  • International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, adopted on 13 April 2005.

Source: IE