Topic: 2025 – Reducing Recruitment Capabilities of Terrorist Groups
Country: Lithuania
Delegate Name: Siddharth Gatla
Delegate: Siddharth Gatla
Committee: DISEC
Topic: Reducing The Recruitment Abilities Of Terrorist Groups
Country: Lithuania
School: Okemos High School
Reducing the recruiting abilities of terrorist groups have been of utmost importance in recent years. Extremist groups thrive and grow off of recruiting young, disadvantaged members to expand their radical ideas. Young people in particular are at risk, these people grow up in isolated, poor backgrounds which leaves them vulnerable to conversion to extremist ideas. Terrorist groups like Boko Haram in Nigeria, Levant in Syria, The Islamic state of Iraq in Iraq, and many more, use recruits as young as seven-years old. These children are often disadvantaged and meant to perform cruel and dangerous actions for these extremist groups. To eradicate terrorist groups and to help safeguard civilians within impoverished communities the reduction of their recruiting abilities is necessary. The UN has recognized this risk and has adopted plans and strategies to reduce recruitments. These plans included the establishment of UNOCT (an agency that coordinates counter-terrorism efforts and helps countries combat recruitment, financing, and propaganda), the establishment of the UN Plan of Action to Prevent Violent Extremism (A plan that uses a holistic approach to terrorism, and supports prevention through developments of communities, advancements in education, engagement with civilians, and other measures), Travel and Financing restrictions, etc.
Lithuania recognizes the need to reduce recruitment of terrorist groups. There are no massive terrorist groups residing in Lithuania, and many recruitments happen online to foreign organizations. Online recruitments and propaganda from organizations abroad have influenced individuals to commit crimes. In 2020, A Neo-Nazi extremist attempted an attack with an IED after being radicalized online. Fortunately this crime was foiled quickly, but it was an example of what terrorist recruitment does to isolated individuals. Another issue Lithuania faces on the topic of recruitment is foreign propaganda and radicalization by Belarusian and Russian pipelines. Russian social networks and Pro-Russian websites spread disinformation in Lithuania, and they accuse Lithuania of “making up” history. To combat these recruitment attempts Lithuania implemented legal and organizational measures to criminalize terrorist-related offences, and an adoption of a nation programme that includes reducing and eliminating risk factors that increase likelihood of terrorist acts as one of its objectives. Lithuania also uses the State Security Department of Lithuania (VSD) and the police tactical unit (ARAS) to reduce recruitments. These agencies monitor threats, perform counter-terrorism work, and disrupt extremist activity before it becomes large-scale. Lithuania also has designated Russia as a terrorist state, which labels all Russian state-sanctioned media as propaganda.
Lithuania would like the UN to monitor extremist propaganda channels, regulate social media based racialization, and strengthen international cyber security-tracking. Since most radicalization happens on social media, regulating those channels would prevent recruitments from occurring. Lithuania would like the UN to pressure Russia and other countries to reduce recruitment networks. Lithuania has already labeled Russia as a terrorist state, so Lithuania would like to reduce all Pro-Russian networks and Russian propaganda as much as possible. Lithuania wants member states to be transparent with their information and they are totally against propaganda. Lithuania is open to every measure that reduces the recruiting abilities of terrorist groups.
