The Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia
Carl P. Salicath, the Norwegian Chairman of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia. Photo: UN Photo/Evan Schneider
The following text is the communique of the 5th Plenary of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia. The meeting, which took place in New York on January 28, 2010, was chaired by Norway.
The Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) held its fifth meeting in New York on Jan. 28, 2010, under the Chairmanship of Norway.
The CGPCS has since the establishment served as an excellent forum for international cooperation and coordination to prevent piracy. Through its working groups it has facilitated military coordination off the Coast of Somalia, developed Best Management Practices (BMPs) for self-protection of the industry and established the IMO Djibouti Code Trust Fund and the International Trust Fund to Support Initiatives of States Countering Piracy off the Coast of Somalia. Still, piracy attacks remain at a significant and worrying level and the area of attacks are expanding into the Indian Ocean, which requires an effective military response. The CGPCS therefore reiterated its pledge to continue its activities.
The CGPCS welcomed Security Council Resolution 1897 (2009) commending the work of the CGPCS to facilitate coordination in order to deter acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the Coast of Somalia.
The CGPCS noted that the agreed BMPs are effective preventive tools against piracy off the Coast of Somalia. It is of vital importance that the BMPs are followed. While welcoming agreed BMP compliance by the majority of the shipping industry, the CGPCS noted with concern the continued non-compliance by a minority, and urged increased action by flag states and shipping companies to continue to minimise risk, including through ship security plans as agreed in the New York Decleration. The CGPCS invited its working groups and the IMO to keep the CGPCS updated on action in this area.
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