The Contact Group on Piracy Off the Coast of Somalia
(CGCPS) held its 22nd plenary session on 20
June 2019 back to back with the Ministerial Conference on Maritime Security in
Mauritius. A series of activities including the Working
Groups meetings were organized to mark
this week dedicated to Maritime Security.
Organized by the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) together
with the Republic of Mauritius (current Chair of the Contact Group in the name
of the IOC), this plenary session brought together more than 200 participants
from over 30 States and regional and international organizations to discuss on
way forward of this platform focused on piracy created following a UN Resolution in December 2008.
Kenya, actively involved in the maritime domain in the
Western Indian Ocean, will be the third country in the region to chair this
International platform as from January 2020 for a 2-years mandate after
Mauritius (through IOC) and Seychelles. While there is a clear indication of
the appropriation of maritime issues by riparian countries in the region, Kenya
through its accession to the CGPCS Chairmanship is ensuring its long-lasting legacy
and is “ engaged to build on this
a solid foundation so as to take the Group to even greater heights and cement the
legacy of the Group as an effective mechanism in fighting
piracy”, stated the Cabinet Secretary for Defence of the Republic of
Kenya, Amb. Raychelle Omamo, at the Plenary session in Mauritius.
CGPCS, a flexible and independent mechanism
focused on piracy and related crimes
Celebrating its 10th year of
existence this year, the CGPCS is currently at a crossroads. While all the CGPCS members
agreed on the fact that piracy has been contained
but not eradicated and that they will continue to engage efforts to
combat piracy and its root causes, there was also a pledge to review the modus operandi of the structure to
ensure effective coordination and collaboration between stakeholders. “The threat of piracy remains present,
therefore we should maintain on our guard and continue the policing of the
seas”, underlined Hon. Nandcoomar Bodha, minister of Foreign Affairs,
Regional Integration and International Trade of the Republic of Mauritius and
Chair of the CGPCS.
The current Chair initiated a strategic review of the
Contact Group which was drafted by the University of Copenhagen. The outcomes
of the report were presented at the Friends of the Chair meeting in Copenhagen
on 28th May 2019 and approved by all members during the plenary session in
Mauritius. One of the objectives of this review is to ensure that the mechanism
remains flexible and inclusive. The unique combination of technical, legal and
political representation under one umbrella enables to have a comprehensive
approach to piracy and related crimes.
Furthermore, the report also stressed on the issue
related to two working groups focused on Operations at Sea and Regional
Capacity Building respectively. Lifeblood’s of the Contact Group, their roles have to be reviewed to ensure coherence and effectiveness with the overall
new vision. The related groups will, however, keep their
activities and continue to report the valuable information to the CGPCS
plenaries.
While the decision was made to close down the Working Group
Operations at Sea, the Regional Capacity Building Work Group will be
transferred to the Djibouti Code of Conduct (CoC) mechanism to ensure
effective coordination. The idea is to use existing mechanisms to strengthen
collaboration with partners but also prevent duplication of initiatives in the
region.
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