Security Council stressed the need for comprehensive action to eradicate piracy
Acknowledging that international cooperation had helped bring about a sharp reduction in attacks at sea, the Security Council stressed the need for comprehensive action to eradicate piracy and condemned in the strongest terms hostage-taking and the increased violence employed in the crime, during an open meeting that heard from more than 40 speakers today.
“The Security Council welcomes the fact that effective counter-piracy measures through increased national, bilateral and multilateral initiatives as well as regional cooperative mechanisms have led to a substantial reduction in the number of successful piracy-related attacks in different regions, and recognizes the need for continuing efforts with these counter-piracy measures, as these gains are reversible,” the Council said through a statement read out by its November President, Hardeep Singh Puri of India.
In that context, the Council invited all States, along with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and other relevant international organizations, to adopt or recommend measures to prevent maritime hijackings, as well as to protect seafarer victims of piracy and to assist them after their release. As part of the requisite comprehensive approach, it affirmed that coordination of regional efforts was primary, but also noted the need for international assistance for such efforts, as well as capacity-building for security and criminal justice sectors of the countries involved and stepped-up information-sharing between all partners.
Directing specific remarks to piracy off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Guinea, on the former region it commended the extensive national and multilateral efforts of the past few years to combat the crime. Underlining the primary responsibility of Somali authorities in the matter, it requested them, with assistance from the Secretary-General and the United Nations, to pass a complete set of counter-piracy laws without further delay and to declare an exclusive economic zone in accordance with the Convention on the Law of the Sea.
On the Gulf of Guinea, the statement welcomed initiatives already taken by States and regional organizations and encouraged international partners to provide support, particularly for regional patrols and operations. Worldwide, it encouraged flag States and port States to further consider the development of safety and security measures on board vessels, including regulations for the deployment of privately contracted armed security personnel.
“Combating piracy requires a multidimensional approach,” Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson told the Council as he introduced the Secretary-General’s report on piracy at the start of the meeting (see Background). Needed immediately in that regard, he added, was better coordination between all actors, stronger capacity to prosecute piracy cases and imprison convicts in accordance with international human rights standards, and the establishment of a framework governing the use of private security personnel. He pledged the continued commitment of the United Nations to help consolidate international assistance for the comprehensive response he agreed was needed.
On Somalia, he said that the new Government had made an impressive start as part of the effort to stabilize the country through a Somali-owned process, but it had to be supported to provide the security and peace dividends that Somalis deserved. A comprehensive maritime security and economic strategy with a proper legal framework was still needed, as was the proclamation of the exclusive economic zone.The response in the Gulf of Guinea, he said, could rely on lessons learned from Somalia – even if the situation was different in each region – including a focus on modernizing counter-piracy laws, strengthening capacities for maritime law enforcement and crime investigation, supporting regional networks and increasing knowledge sharing. He stressed that hostages in all areas endured the most horrendous conditions, and he welcomed the approval of a project by the piracy trust fund board, which was chaired by the Department of Political Affairs, to provide medical care, accommodation, food and clothes to hostages during the release phase and aid to help them return home swiftly.
Following that presentation, most speakers agreed that piracy still represented a threat to international peace and security. Dissenting from that view, the representative of Argentina said that unless a situation had engendered Council action under Chapter VII for other reasons, such as the situation in Somalia, piracy was not under the competence of the body; it was, rather under the framework of the Convention on the Law of the Sea.
All speakers agreed, however, that piracy threatened the economies of developing countries, and must be tackled through coordination of regional initiatives and international support, in a comprehensive manner that included capacity-building for regional judicial systems in order to prosecute suspects. Many spoke of the need to support development and consolidation of peace in Somalia.
Many speakers also underlined the need for assistance to victims, regulations for private security contracts and declaration of a maritime economic zone for Somalia, and some stressed that all Council action should be consistent with existing international law. All emphasized the need to avoid complacency. “Should Governments turn their attention elsewhere and should the vigilance of seafarers and the shipping companies wane, the pirates will quickly be back in their skiffs,” the representative of Denmark warned.
Also speaking were the representatives of the United States, Russian Federation, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Togo, Portugal, South Africa, Pakistan, China, Colombia, Azerbaijan, Guatemala, Morocco, India, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Australia, Egypt, Luxembourg, Estonia, Italy, Republic of Korea, Japan, Ukraine, Lithuania, Iran (on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement), Malaysia, United Republic of Tanzania, Thailand, Israel, Viet Nam, Singapore, Panama, United Arab Emirates, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Norway, Somalia and Nigeria.
Source: UN Security Council
