S/PV.8088 Security Council

In accordance with rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure, I invite the representative of Somalia to participate in this meeting. The Security Council will now begin its consideration of the item on its agenda. Members of the Council have before them document S/2017/927, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by France, Italy, Japan, Sweden, Ukraine, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America and Uruguay. I wish to draw the attention of Council members to document S/2017/859, which contains the report of the Secretary-General on the situation with respect to piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia. The Council is ready to proceed to the vote on the draft resolution before it. I shall put the draft resolution to the vote now.

The draft resolution received 15 votes in favour. The draft resolution has been adopted unanimously as resolution 2383 (2017). I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements following the voting.

Our delegation supported today’s resolution 2383 (2017). We would note that there is a regional link to the mandate extended by the resolution. That approach has some positive aspects. At the same time, in our view, combating piracy requires significant comprehensive measures and a more global format. Clearly, that would enable more effective crafting of common approaches to fighting piracy and other types of crimes at sea, as well as enabling an exchange of experiences, including with regard to criminal prosecution of pirates. We believe that the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia could be the most successful platform for such efforts. Resolution 2383 (2017) underscores the fact that piracy constitute and engine for corruption, terrorism and other additional crimes. Maritime crime also includes illegal trafficking in weapons and narcotics, as well as other types of crimes. In practice, pirates are frequently implicated in illegal activities that are not directly linked to the seizure of vessels. In that regard, in the foreseeable future, it would be wise for us to consider optimal means of countering such threats. In conclusion, we would like to stress that, on the whole, the Security Council must continue to play a leading political role in the fight against piracy. Work along those lines is an example of the effectiveness of the Council.

I now give the floor to the representative of Somalia.

At the outset, allow me to congratulate you, Mr. President, on your assumption of the presidency of the Security Council for the month of November. We are confident that your able leadership will guide the Council in the right direction. The Government of the Federal Republic of Somalia would like to convey its sincere gratitude to the Member States of the regional and international organizations assisting Somalia in the challenge of combating the scourge of piracy off the coast of Somalia. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the Secretary- General for his report before us today (S/2017/859). The Government of the Federal Republic of Somalia welcomes the renewal of the mandate, in accordance with resolution 2316 (2016), in securing the international and territorial waters off the coast of Somalia for the safe conduct of shipping and navigation. Additionally, we welcome the acknowledgement in the text of resolution 2383 (2017) that the phenomenon of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in Somalia’s exclusive economic zone results in a loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue and could lead to the destabilization of the coastal communities of Somalia. Noting the Secretary-General’s report of 12 October 2017 on piracy and armed robbery off the coast of Somalia and the complex linkage between piracy and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, we ask Member States and international organizations to support the Federal Government of Somalia in its efforts to address illegal fishing in Somalia’s exclusive economic zone. The Government of the Federal Republic of Somalia is working assiduously to tackle the piracy and illegal fishing problems. The Federal Government of Somalia established the Maritime Security Coordination Committee as a mechanism to showcase the Government’s initiatives to address illegal fishing through six areas of importance to Somalia: maritime governance, maritime safety at sea, maritime response and recovery, maritime law enforcement, maritime security and the maritime economy. The problem of illegal impacts Somalia more acutely and adversely in that it has the longest coastline — 3,323 kilometres — in the contiguous continent of Africa. A key underlying economic cause of piracy in Somalia is the depletion of seafood resources through illegal fishing by foreign companies. According to Kofi Annan, former Secretary-General and current Chairperson of the Africa Progress Panel, “natural resources plunder is organized theft disguised as commerce”. Mr. Annan has further indicated that “commercial trawlers that operate under flags of convenience and unload in ports that do not record their catch are unethical and illegal”. The root causes of piracy, in addition to illegal fishing, are poor State control of land, the lack of legal economic opportunities and the absence of the rule of law. Incidents of piracy off the coast of Somalia have increasingly dropped, but piracy could easily escalate again should the naval patrolling lessen before Somalia’s maritime forces are built and fit to control Somalia’s exclusive economic zone. If it is to be effective and fair, the renewed Security Council resolution on piracy must address the devastation caused by the wide prevalence of illegal fishing in Somalia’s exclusive economic zone on Somali fisheries and coastal communities. Reality on the ground has changed materially since the adoption of resolution 2316 (2016). First, President Farmajo’s Government in Somalia is seriously committed to rebuilding the country’s maritime security, with the assistance of the European Union as part of the programme under the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia. Secondly, we are taking several measures to demonstrate our determination, such as the proposed enactment of new legislation that would designate piracy offences as criminal activity, with long prison sentences, as well as the building of a new correctional facility that can hold potential perpetrators of piracy crimes. Thirdly, we are building the capacities and maritime security governance of the authorities of regions with coastline in Somalia, in such critical areas as the commissioning of coast guard forces, legal and prosecution capacity, and the rebuilding and revival of the maritime economy to create jobs and generate income, particularly for young people. The value of Somalia’s fishing licenses is significantly and adversely affected by the widespread prevalence of illegal fishing. Fishing licenses issued by the Somali authorities will not be attractive to fishing companies, as they cannot compete in the market with those who get it free of charge — that is, illegally. This will negatively affect the potential revenue of the Government, which in turn undermines the ability of the local economy to create jobs and generate income for young people. Thus, illegal fishing enhances security risks. If the Security Council does not address the devastating consequences of illegal fishing, it will further exacerbate the widespread strong feelings and sentiments of the coastal communities, as well as the population as a whole. Somalia once again thanks the entire Security Council for its efforts in Somalia in all areas, including piracy. We welcome both the long-term and the short- term recommendations, suggestions and solutions set out in today’s resolution and the Secretary-General’s report, and we encourage more research into the complex link between piracy and illegal fishing. My delegation assures the Council of its full cooperation on this matter, and remains fully engaged in its implementation.