Topic: 2025 – Reducing Recruitment Capabilities of Terrorist Groups
Country: Indonesia
Delegate Name: Luke Harkema
Country: Indonesia
Delegate: Luke Harkema
School: Williamston High School
Committee: DISEC
Topic: Terrorist Recruitment
Terrorists across the globe serve as some of the greatest threats to the safety of people everywhere. According to Oxford Reference, terrorism is defined as “the calculated use of violence or the threat of violence to create fear for political, religious, or ideological ends, intending to coerce or intimidate governments or societies.” In spite of countless attempts to eradicate these extremist movements, the ability of these groups to recruit new members from marginalized groups keeps their numbers growing. Socioeconomic hardships, human rights violations, and poor education all influence people towards extremism, especially in children. In addition, with the rise of social media, these extremist messages can reach an even greater population. Solving these underlying issues is necessary to counter the massive problem these terrorists pose to worldwide communities.
Indonesia is highly motivated in finding a quick and effective solution to this major problem, as there have been seventeen terror attacks in Indonesia in the past decade, with the worst attack killing fifteen and injuring fifty-seven. Indonesia, with the help of UNDP, has attempted to counter terrorism recruitment domestically by promoting tolerant religious education to prevent violent extremism. However, Indonesia has mainly fought terrorism through its deradicalization programme, attempting to get former terrorists to abandon their radical ideologies. This program has been implemented both inside and outside of prisons.
Indonesia would propose to resolve this issue by continuing to help educate people in marginalized communities on the dangers of extremism. Indonesia is currently developing the second phase of its National Action Plan for Preventing and Combating Violent Extremism (RAN-PE), which will be in place from 2025 to 2029. Key goals within this plan include addressing the main causes of extremism and helping people get out of disadvantageous situations where they may be susceptible to radical ideas, as well as strengthening the counterterrorism capabilities of law enforcement. This plan is also focused on collaborating with other countries to share information on how to effectively deal with this issue. Other countries that may agree with this plan include Australia and the other members of ASEAN, as Indonesia has worked closely with them in the past in creating counterterrorism measures.
https://www.undp.org/indonesia/projects/enhancing-role-religious-education-countering-violent-extremism?
https://en.antaranews.com/news/364857/indonesias-bnpt-finalizes-2025-2029-plan-to-fight-violent-extremism?
https://www.unodc.org/roseap/en/indonesia/2025/04/preventing-violent-extremism/story.html
