UN Security Council Meeting on Piracy off Somali Coast

PRESS RELEASE

A meeting of the United Nations Security Council on piracy off the coast of Somalia took place in New York on August 25, chaired and initiated by the Russian Federation. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, UN Legal Counsel Patricia O'Brien, and a wide range of delegations from foreign states took part.

In his speech, Secretary General Ban noted the magnitude of the threat of piracy, and specifically called upon the international community to further enhance anti-piracy efforts, which will require political and financial commitment from member states. In his assessment, the chief objective continues to be to achieve comprehensive normalization in Somalia. The Secretary General accentuated that the existing international legal framework is sufficient to effectively combat piracy.

During the discussions at the meeting, the Council gave a high evaluation to the report prepared by the UN Secretariat on possible options to improve the mechanisms for bringing pirates to justice, submitted in furtherance of the Russian-initiated UNSCR 1918. It was described as a solid base for future work in this regard.

The Russian side underlined the need for a comprehensive approach towards piracy off the coast of Somalia and to search for long-term solutions to the problem of pirates' impunity. There was confirmed Russia's invariable support for the establishment of an international judicial mechanism at the regional level to complement national systems.

At the end of the meeting, participants unanimously deemed that tackling the tasks in the area of justice was a key guideline for increasing the effectiveness of the international anti-piracy coalition.

Russia's initiative to hold the Security Council meeting on piracy was greatly appreciated. Resolution 1918, and the official statement of its President adopted at the end of the meeting, were deemed a fitting response of the Council in the sphere of the prosecution of pirates, and laid the basis for the further advancement of Russian initiatives in the anti-piracy drive.

In general, the thorough exchange of views held in the UN Security Council on counter-piracy was a notable and significant step forward. The international community is set to further intensify efforts in this field, including by bringing pirates to justice.

August 26, 2010