Adoption of Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea Resolution
This afternoon (Monday, 31 October) the Council will adopt a resolution, drafted by Nigeria, expressing its concern about the threat posed by piracy and armed robbery at sea in the Gulf of Guinea. The draft text was introduced on 19 October when the Council was briefed by the Secretary-General on the piracy situation in the Gulf of Guinea. Following negotiations by Council members over the last week and a half, the draft resolution was put in blue this morning. The resolution is co-sponsored by Nigeria, France, UK and Germany.
It seems that originally the draft resolution had a reference to Chapter VIII (Chapter VIII addresses relations between the UN and regional organisations) but some European members felt that it was not necessary for Chapter VIII to be invoked for this issue.
It also appears that a number of Council members felt that it was important for states in the region and regional organisations to take the leadership role in this issue and this is reflected in the final text.
The resolution puts emphasis on the role of the governments in the Gulf region by calling on them to institute domestic laws and regulations to criminalise piracy and armed robbery at sea, develop a regional framework to counter piracy and to strengthen domestic laws and regulations. It also calls on states in the region to conduct bilateral or multilateral patrols and to cooperate with the prosecution of alleged perpetrators.
The resolution highlights the role of regional organisations, calling on the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the Gulf of Guinea Commission (GGC) and the states of the region to strengthen their efforts to counter piracy and armed robbery at sea, in the Gulf of Guinea.
