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Mr. President,
We thank the delegation of Togo for organizing this meeting on an issue of key importance to the states of West and Central Africa. Our thanks also go to Mr. Lynn Pascoe for his briefing on the situation of Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. We appreciate the initiative of the Secretary General for deploying the assessment mission to study the threat arising from acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea in the Gulf of Guinea. We have carefully read its report and believe that it contains useful recommendations for dealing with this threat.
Mr. President,
Pakistan staunchly supports a comprehensive approach against maritime piracy. We have been playing an active role in the fight against piracy through contribution of our warships for anti-piracy patrolling off the coast of Somalia since 2009.
Increasing piracy in the Gulf of Guinea threatens economic wellbeing of several countries of that region. According to IMO, there were 58 attacks in the region during the first ten months of 2011 of which twenty-one occurred off the coast of Benin alone, a nation whose economy relies overwhelmingly on port activities. According to the report of the assessment mission, piracy is causing an estimated annual loss of US $ 2 billion to the West African sub-region’s economy.
Also worrisome are indications of links between piracy and other forms of organized crimes like oil bunkering and drug trafficking. If left unchecked, these organized crimes can further undermine governance and economic development in the affected countries. The climate of insecurity would discourage investments particularly in the offshore oil sector. We, therefore, fully sympathize with and understand the concern of the affected countries for taking urgent action to address this situation.
Acting within their existing resources, the States of the region have taken several initiatives for countering piracy, but progress is hampered by lack of capacity. For example “Operation Prosperity” between Nigeria and Benin is costing Benin US $ 466,000/ per month which, though 5% of the entire cost of the operation, is unsustainable. Other countries in the region simply lack the capacity and the financial wherewithal for undertaking this fight effectively.
Mr. President,
Eradication of piracy in a region the size of the Gulf of Guinea cannot be accomplished without a cooperative and collaborative approach, involving the countries of the region and international partners. In our view such an approach may consist of the following elements:
First,There is a need for developing a comprehensive regional strategy for countering piracy specific to the circumstances of the Gulf of Guinea. In this regard the early convening of the summit of Gulf of Guinea Heads of State would be critical. The strategy needs to take into account:
strengthening the legal framework at the national and regional levels for criminalizing acts of piracy as well as prosecuting and punishing persons engaged in such acts;
developing mechanisms for cooperation between respective law enforcement agencies;
establishing collective systems for surveillance, information sharing and joint patrolling in the Gulf of Guinea;
addressing links between piracy and other forms of organized crime and;
addressing the underlying causes of piracy.
Second,Pending formation of the comprehensive strategy, states of the region must consider interim measures for enhancing cooperative action for countering piracy.
Third,Fighting piracy at sea is a high-cost proposition for which countries of the region need capacity-building support of international partners.
Fourth,The United Nations and the IMO should assist the countries of the region in synergizing their efforts through the development of a comprehensive regional strategy and making it operational by mobilizing resources and providing technical assistance.
Fifth,While implementing counter piracy measures, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the states of the region must be respected.
Finally,In view of the experience of fighting piracy off the coast of Somalia we would like to underline the importance of taking effective measures urgently to counter piracy in the Gulf of Guinea to prevent the situation from getting out of hand. We therefore support the draft resolution under consideration of the Council.
I thank you.