S/RES/2383 (2017)
Commending the efforts of the EUNAVFOR Operation ATALANTA,
Combined Maritime Forces’ Combined Task Force 151, the counter -piracy activities
of the African Union onshore in Somalia and the naval activities of the Southern
Africa Development Community, and other States acting in a national capacity in
cooperation with Somali authorities and each other to suppress piracy and to protect
ships transiting through the waters off the coast of Somalia, and welcoming the
Shared Awareness and Deconfliction Initiative (SHADE) and the efforts of
individual countries, including China, India, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Japan, the
Republic of Korea, and the Russian Federation, which have deployed naval counter piracy missions in the region,
Noting the efforts of flag States for taking measures to permit vessels sailing
under their flag transiting the High Risk Area (HRA) to embark vessel protection
detachments and privately contracted armed security personnel (PCASP), an d to
allow charters that favour arrangements that make use of such measures, while
urging States to regulate such activities in accordance with applicable international
law,
Welcoming and encouraging the capacity-building efforts in the region made
by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) funded Djibouti Code of
Conduct, the Trust Fund and the European Union’s activities under the EU Capacity
Building Mission in Somalia (EUCAP Somalia) which assists Somalia in
strengthening its maritime security capacity in order to enable it to enforce maritime
law more effectively, and recognizing the need for all engaged international and
regional organizations to coordinate and cooperate fully,
Supporting the development of a coastguard at the federal level and coastguard
police at the Federal Member State level, noting with appreciation the efforts made
by the IMO and the shipping industry to develop and update guidance, best
management practices, and recommendations to assist ships to prevent and suppress
piracy attacks off the coast of Somalia, including in the Gulf of Aden, and in
relevant parts of the Indian Ocean that are still within the High Risk Area and
recognizing the work of the IMO and the CGPCS in this regard, noting the efforts of
the International Organization for Standardization, which has developed industry
standards of training and certification for Private Maritime Security Companies
when providing PCASP on board ships in high-risk areas, and further welcoming
the European Union’s EUCAP Somalia, which is working to develop the maritime
security capacities of Somalia,
Underlining the importance of continuing to enhance the collection,
preservation, and transmission to competent authorities of evidence of acts of piracy
and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, and welcoming the ongoing work
of the IMO, INTERPOL, and industry groups to develop guidance to seafarers on
preservation of crime scenes following acts of piracy, and noting the importance of
enabling seafarers to give evidence in criminal proceedings to prosecute acts of
piracy,
Further recognizing that pirate networks continue to rely on kidnapping and
hostage-taking to help generate funding to purchase weapons, gain recruits, and
continue their operational activities, thereby jeopardizing the safety and security of
civilians and restricting the flow of commerce, and welcoming international efforts
to coordinate the work of investigators and prosecutors, inter alia, through the Law
Enforcement Task Force and collect and share information to disrupt the pirate
enterprise, as exemplified by INTERPOL’s Global Database on Maritime Piracy,
and commending the establishment of the Regional Centre for Operational
Coordination (RCOC) in Seychelles on 1 July 2017, which will operate alongside its
sister centre, and appreciating the establishment of the Regional Maritime
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