S/PV.8678 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/2019/916, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by the United States of America. I wish to draw the attention of Council members to document S/2019/867, 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 2500 (2019). I now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements after the voting.

Issues pertaining to the safety of navigation and the protection of the lives of persons on board vessels, including crew members, are of primary importance to the Russian Federation. In that connection, we supported the Council’s adoption of resolution 2500 (2019) today. Thanks to the concerted efforts of the international community, the activities of pirates off the coast of Somalia are declining. However, attacks continue to occur, meaning that both the Security Council and Member States should pay serious attention to the problem. In that context, we want to emphasize how essential it is to continue coordinated counter-piracy efforts, including through the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, which we are in favour of preserving, since it has been proven to be effective. Russia continues to contribute to combating piracy off the coast of Somalia. Our naval forces participate in ensuring the safety of navigation in vulnerable maritime areas in close cooperation with other members of the anti-piracy coalition. We believe it is important to note the efforts of all the members of the coalition, and in that regard we want to draw the Council’s attention to a letter sent by Iran on 3 December to the Secretary-General that sheds light on the country’s efforts to counter piracy. It is well known that in recent years Iranian sailors in commercial and fishing fleets have repeatedly been the target of piracy and robbery attacks. It is totally obvious that Tehran has a greater interest than anyone in stabilizing the situation off the coast of Somalia, protecting its own citizens and preventing criminal incursions. In that connection, it is regrettable that for political reasons Iran’s contribution was not acknowledged in the resolution. In future, we urge the sponsors of the resolution to maintain an objective approach in considering the genuine contributions of various countries, including those along the north-western Indian Ocean coast, as well as the international and regional organizations working to combat maritime piracy.

The Security Council has just unanimously adopted resolution 2500 (2019), renewing the authorizations for States and regional organizations cooperating in the fight against Somali pirates, which China welcomes. In recent years, we have seen consistent progress in the situation in Somalia and the Horn of Africa. The absence of successful piracy attacks on merchant ships off the coast of Somalia since March 2017 clearly reflects the remarkable results that have been achieved by the Federal Government of Somalia, the United Nations and the international community in combating piracy. However, we should also note that daunting challenges remain in the political and security situation in the Horn of Africa, and the piracy issue has not been fundamentally resolved. The international community should continue to strengthen cooperation, particularly in terms of tackling the root causes of Somali piracy. China has been actively participating in international cooperation efforts against Somali pirates since 2008. As of September, China had dispatched 33 formations to escort more than 6,700 ships with a view to effectively ensuring regional peace and the safety of important international trade routes. China will continue to participate actively in relevant operations so as to play a constructive role in the fight against Somali pirates. We note that in addition to the countries listed in the resolution, Iran has also participated in escort operations in the Gulf of Aden and Somali waters. The Security Council should acknowledge its contributions.

I now give the floor to the representative of Somalia.

Allow me first of all to express to you, Madam President, the satisfaction of the delegation of Somalia at seeing your country preside over the Security Council this month. The United States, to which we wish every success and pledge our full cooperation during its presidency, is a key partner of Somalia. I would also like to congratulate the delegation of the United Kingdom on the able manner in which it guided the work of the Council last month. Somalia extends is deep gratitude to the members of the Security Council for their valuable support in Somalia in all areas, including addressing piracy and armed robbery off the coast of Somalia. The robust commitment of the Somali Government and the international community has resulted in a massive reduction in piracy in recent years. However, piracy off the coast of Somalia must be put in the context of the political security and economic challenges facing my country on land. As the most recent report of the Secretary-General notes, “Piracy off the coast of Somalia remains suppressed but still not eradicated; it will not be eradicated until the root causes of piracy, including the lack of alternative livelihoods, insecurity and weak governance structures, are addressed.” (S/2019/867, para. 65) In that regard, we ask Member States and international organizations for their continued support for the Somali Government to address the root causes of piracy, while maintaining the required pressure at sea against perpetrators of piracy. According to the Secretary-General’s report, piracy is only one of the many threats to maritime security off the coast of Somalia, and the persistence of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in Somalia’s exclusive economic zone remains a major concern. We welcome the acknowledgement in resolution 2500 (2019), which was just adopted, of the complex link between IUU fishing and piracy, and of the fact that the phenomenon of illegal unreported and unregulated fishing in Somalia’s exclusive economic zone results in a loss of revenue and can lead to destabilization in coastal communities. In that regard, we urge Member States to abide by domestic and international regulations and to take all necessary measures to ensure compliance and prevent illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing off the coast of Somalia. The Somali Government has taken several steps to counter the threat of piracy, as well as the root causes of IUU fishing in Somalia, including by strengthening the national legal and policy framework and building the capacity of the Maritime Police Unit and its coordination with all federal member states. We remain concerned about the abuse of the process of piracy-related prosecution taking place outside Somalia. In some cases, we have observed that defendants who were illiterate were not offered proper interpretation. Moreover, the defendants were required to sign away their right of appeal, with the facilitation of the United Nations. That is unconstitutional in Somalia and in the foreign prosecuting State in this case. Neither the courts of the foreign prosecuting State nor the United Nations has any jurisdiction over Somalia to enforce such a decision. We will continue to work on safeguarding our territorial water and land and welcome the cooperation of Member States in fighting piracy, in line with domestic and international law. The Somali Government welcomes the safe release of the long-held Iranian hostage in September, and we will spare no effort to ensure the swift release of the remaining hostages. My last comment is an expression of gratitude to the five outgoing non-permanent Council members that will leave this organ at the end of the month — Equatorial Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Kuwait, Peru and Poland — for their valuable contribution and cooperation during their two-year terms. In particular, I wish to deliver a message of appreciation from the Somali Government and people to the brotherly State of Kuwait for not only playing an active role in sustaining peace in Somalia, but also for serving as a contributor and partner in the country’s socioeconomic development, especially in the area of education. I also wish to take this opportunity to congratulate and emphasize our deep gratitude to Ambassador Mansour Alotaibi and his dedicated team for the exemplary, active and effective work that brought to fruition the sheer political will to assist and help Somalia’s Government and people to stand together in a united well-functioning nation. (spoke in Arabic) I thank them.