Secretary-General, at Security Council Meeting on Issue of Piracy in Gulf

 

of Guinea, Announces Imminent Deployment of Assessment Mission to Region

This is the text of remarks by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in the Security Council today, at the outset of the Council’s meeting on “Peace and Security in Africa:  Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea”:

I would like to commend Nigeria for initiating this timely discussion.  Since Under-Secretary-General [B. Lynn] Pascoe briefed the Council last August, the threat of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea has continued to grow.  New cases of piracy and armed robbery aboard vessels along the West African coast are being regularly reported, with significant potential consequences for economic development and security.  The threat is compounded because most Gulf [of Guinea] States have limited capacity to ensure safe maritime trade, freedom of navigation, the protection of marine resources and the safety and security of lives and property.

I discussed this issue with many leaders from the region and beyond during their visits to UN Headquarters last month.  In their statements to the General Assembly, a number of Heads of State highlighted the need for a concerted regional and international response.  I, therefore, commend the States in the Gulf of Guinea and their partners for working together to tackle this security threat.  Recently, Benin and Nigeria launched joint patrols to secure the waters off Benin.  Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon and Sao Tome and Principe have launched a joint strategy to secure the vital interests of members of the Economic Community of Central African States [ECCAS].

I am also encouraged by the initiatives taken by ECOWAS [Economic Community of West African States] and the Economic Community of Central African States to coordinate regional responses.  I understand that ECOWAS plans to convene a Summit of the Gulf of Guinea States, and that ECCAS plans to hold an international conference.  I urge the two regional organizations to work together to develop a comprehensive, integrated strategy, in close cooperation with the Gulf of Guinea Commission and the Maritime Organization of West and Central Africa.  I also encourage them to build on the existing Memorandum of Understanding on maritime law enforcement developed by the Maritime Organization of West and Central Africa and the International Maritime Organization with the support of the UN agencies.  This has already been signed by 15 States from the region.

As you were informed in August, I have decided to deploy an assessment mission to the region in November, following a request by President Boni Yayi of Benin.  Earlier this month, my Special Representative for West Africa, Mr. Said Djinnit, met with Beninois authorities, who stressed that the country’s economy could be severely affected if piracy is not addressed adequately and quickly.  The forthcoming United Nations assessment mission will examine the scope of the threat, as well as the capacity of Benin and of the West African subregion as a whole to ensure maritime safety and security in the Gulf of Guinea.  It will also make recommendations on anti-piracy, including in the broader context of organized crime and drug trafficking.

The mission will comprise representatives of the Departments of Political Affairs and Peacekeeping Operations, the UN Offices for West Africa and Central Africa, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, and the International Maritime Organization.  It will work in close consultation with national authorities, the European Union and other international partners.  When I receive the mission’s report, I will arrange to present it to this Council.

Piracy transcends national boundaries and economic interests.  It has a negative impact on West Africa’s trade with the rest of the world, especially with its principal trading partners in the Americas, Asia and Europe.  The recent deployment of naval vessels to support anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Guinea attests to the readiness of the region’s States and their partners to address this threat.  I call upon other Member States to join these efforts.

As we have learned from our experience in Somalia, we must approach the issue in a holistic manner, focusing simultaneously on security, the rule of law and development.  Responses that fall short of these requirements will only exacerbate the problem.  Let us, therefore, work together to forge a balanced and coherent strategy that addresses the roots of the problem, as well as deterrence on land and at sea.

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For information media • not an official record