The New Delhi Declaration - Youth Against Terrorism
First International Youth Conference on Terrorism
(A charter of commitments to fight terrorism adopted by the International Youth Community)

We, the representatives of International Youth and Youth Associations, assemble here in New Delhi to express serious concern over growing terrorism all over the world. After comprehensive discussion on various issues relating to terrorism, we unanimously adopt the following New Delhi Declaration.

The Mission Statement

The mission of this first two-day International Youth Conference on Terrorism is to underscore the firm resolve and unflinching commitment of the international youth community to fight terrorism by all means and in all its forms and complement the efforts of all democratic governments to defeat terrorism and establish world peace and universal brotherhood. We also recognize initiatives taken by other International youth bodies in this regard.

(I) Observation

This International Youth Conference on Terrorism observes the urgent need for a united global effort to harness the youth power in the global struggle against terrorism. To serve the cause of humanity, this international conference recognizes the urgent need to identify, encourage and promote young men and women to play a decisive role in combating terrorism at National & International levels since young men, women and children are the prime targets of terrorism. We rededicate ourselves to the cause of building a safer and more just world order.

(II) The International Youth Conference adopts the following resolution.

This International Youth Conference:-

1. Reaffirms its faith in all UN resolutions, conventions and protocols against terrorism and urges all the countries to respect and comply with the UN policies and treaties.

2. Urges the UNO and other world bodies to take concrete steps to resolve all outstanding conflicts through peaceful means.

3. Condemns unequivocally all the terrorist attacks suffered by the world and expresses its deep sympathy towards all the innocent victims of these attacks, especially women, children and youth amongst them, who have suffered immeasurable losses, while realizing an urgent need to look into the formidable task of their overall rehabilitation.

4. Calls upon all countries to ensure that no discrimination is indulged in on the basis of religion, location or pattern, when it comes to combating terrorism. We reiterate our firm resolves to fight with every terrorist activity that poses threat to international peace and security.

5. Urges countries to promulgate necessary laws to punish those individuals or groups who support terrorism covertly or overtly. We appeal to all nations to take additional preventive measures to curb terrorism through lawful means.

6. Appeals to all countries to have accentuated co-operation among them to tackle and curb any form of criminal activity indulged by any group, which directly or indirectly abets terrorism. This should include better management of the borders of respective nations so as to insulate them against the entry of terrorists and thereby put an end to all kinds of cross-border terrorism.

7. Calls for effective international co-ordination among nations to work towards freezing of funds and other financial assets or economic resources of persons or groups, which directly or indirectly support terrorism.

8. Calls upon nations to restrain and refrain from providing any form of support, directly or indirectly to any individual or groups, who have connections with terrorist groups as also to keep track of those individuals or organizations that passively or actively work for mobilization of financial, intellectual or technical resources in support of terrorism.

9. Expresses deep concern and dismay over the alarming linkages between international terrorists and transnational organized crime syndicates involved in smuggling, narcotics, money laundering, illegal arms trafficking, and illegal movement of nuclear, chemical and biological materials. We call upon all countries to take stringent measures to curb these forces.

(III) While reaffirming its commitment to meet this challenge of Terrorism this International Conference unanimously adopts the following DECLARATION.

1. The International Youth Community accepts the challenge of terrorism as a threat to the human existence as it violates human rights, abuses human dignity and therefore urges the world community to ensure that there should not be any compromise or laxity in dealing with the terrorists.

2. It is our firm conviction that the nations must evolve a well-planned strategy and effective coordination to counter terrorism. In this direction, we further urge them to sign bilateral/multilateral agreements for greater diplomatic co-operation that would lead towards a systematic transnational enforcement regime aimed at combating all terrorist activities.

3. The International Youth Community rededicates itself to the task of making nations realize the gravity of the threat of terrorism, and reassess their own preparedness in terms of facing the threat while taking a serious note of the quick adaptability of terrorists to the rapid technological developments.

Through this Declaration, the International Youth Community reiterates the urgent need for the formation of a united international youth front against terrorism under the name World Youth Council Against Terrorism (WYCAT) with its headquarter in India, with the objective to make it the epicenter of International Youth activities for channelising the energies of the youth to meet exigencies of the changing situations and requirements in combating terrorism.

(IV) IN THE LIGHT OF THIS DECLARATION, THIS CONFRENCE PUTS FORTH THE FOLLOWING CHARTER OF DEMANDS BEFORE THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD

This International Youth Conference demands, that --

1. The United Nations Organization and other world bodies should come out with clear policy perspectives for promotion of Democracy, encouragement to the framing of anti-terrorism legislations by respective governments as also a plan of deterrent action for those nations that abet terrorism.

2. The UNO and other world bodies should encourage the concept of equality of religions in the eye of the law and for the same purpose take a firm position against fundamentalism, where religion is either used or abused for the denial of basic Human Rights of people of different religious beliefs.

3. The global religious and spiritual leaders must clearly distinguish between religious practices vis-à-vis acts of terrorism in the name of freedom struggle.

4. We call upon the world community for the establishment of a permanent World Fund for Rehabilitation of the victims of terrorism.

5. The United Nation and its Security Council adopt suitable measures to evolve a mechanism to deal with complaints against nations that are abetting cross-border terrorism by illegal infiltration into neighboring countries and promoting insurgencies by supplying arms & ammunition and training to the terrorists.

6. The United Nation Commission for Human Rights (UNCHR) should undertake an International Survey on the pathetic conditions emanating from terrorist activities affecting the societies in general and families in particular leading to an army of orphans and destitute mothers world over.

7. The United Nation should declare observance of an international year against terrorism and universal brotherhood.

8. Call for the establishment of an international code of ethics to strengthen international cooperation in all fields in order to rid world to terrorism.

(V) The Action Plan:

1. This International Youth Conference on Terrorism has unanimously resolved to establish a permanent secretariat of the proposed World Youth Council Against Terrorism (WYCAT) at New Delhi, India with Mr. G. Kishan Reddy as the first Chairman and requests him to constitute a core group from among the delegates of participating countries.

2. This International Youth Conference has decided to undertake/launch comprehensive youth awareness programme throughout the world by organizing seminars, symposiums, and conferences at regional, national and international level.

3. This Conference resolves to persuade world governments to enact suitable legislations against terrorism for protection of human rights and start mass educational awareness programmes to prevent indoctrination of young men, women & children in terrorism.