S/PV.8917 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/2021/1005, which contains the text of a draft resolution submitted by the United States of America. I wish to draw the attention of the members of the Council to document S/2021/920, 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 2608 (2021). I shall now give the floor to those members of the Council who wish to make statements after the voting.

France voted in favour of resolution 2608 (2021), as it allows for the pursuit against piracy off the coast of Somalia. That no attacks have taken place in more than four years is the result of a long-term collective endeavour, but its outcome remains uncertain. Nonetheless, France is concerned by the three-month extension set by the resolution, which is too brief to allow the European Union Naval Force Operation Atalanta to carry out its tasks in proper conditions. There is the risk of a security vacuum, which would be catastrophic for both Somalia and the region. Indeed, Operation Atalanta does not just focus on combating piracy; it contributes as well to cutting off the weapons trafficking that benefits Al-Shabaab and ensures security for vessels of the World Food Programme and the channelling of international humanitarian assistance to Somalia. France is proud of the partnership between the European Union and Africa. In Somalia, that partnership goes beyond Operation Atalanta, in the form of a package totalling more than €257 million over three years, the support of two training missions — military and capacity-building  — and support to the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) totalling €2 billion in the course of a decade. Any partnership relies on confidence and mutual respect. We regret that the Somali side did not take into account the concerns expressed by France on numerous occasions, as well as by the European Union members of the Security Council and by the European Union itself. France thanks the United States for its ongoing efforts to arrive at a compromise on the text. We remain prepared to listen to the Somali authorities and take note of their willingness to see the evolution of coordination in combating piracy. In turn, we ask Somalia to recognize that such an evolution must be based on agreement. Moreover, the issue of maritime security cannot be divorced from the consideration of the matter of support for the security transition between now and 2023. We call on the Somali authorities and the African Union to arrive at an agreement soon in order to make it possible for the Secretary-General to submit as quickly as possible his report on the reconfiguration of AMISOM that has been requested by September.

At the outset, I would like to thank the penholder — the United States — for all of its efforts to adopt resolution 2608 (2021), which authorizes States and regional organizations to take part in the fight against piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia. Estonia voted in favour of the resolution. However, we regret the short length of the adopted mandate. The collective efforts to fight off piracy on the Somali coast have been successful. We welcome the fact that there have been no piracy attacks in the recent years. That was achieved in part thanks to the efforts of the European Union Naval Force Operation Atalanta. The short mandate adopted today, however, will likely adversely affect the operating conditions of Operation Atalanta and related activities. The bottom line is that we should avoid hasty decisions, which would risk creating a security vacuum. The worst-case scenario would be to lose the significant gains made over the past 13 years in the fight against piracy. Therefore, we emphasize the need to remain vigilant and thoroughly think through the next steps. We fully acknowledge Somalia’s wish to update the mandate, but also count on its understanding when planning for it. The European Union and its member States, including Estonia, have been long-standing supporters of Somalia. The European Union has dedicated a significant amount of funds throughout the years with the goal of helping Somalis to enjoy a brighter future. Moving forward, we hope that the strong partnership between Somalia and the European Union can grow from strength to strength and that it will be based on respect, dialogue and willingness to take into account each other’s concerns.

We welcome the adoption today of resolution 2608 (2021) to renew the authorization of international counter-piracy measures in Somalia. We express our appreciation for the efforts of the United States as penholder. Ireland strongly supports our continued cooperation and partnership with Somalia in the fight against piracy and armed robbery at sea. Ireland also supports collaboration with the Somali authorities to tackle the underlying causes of piracy. As the report (S/2021/920) of the Secretary-General reminds us, while there have been no piracy incidents over the past year, that is due to long-term collective efforts. The risks have not been eradicated. While we welcome today’s adoption, Ireland regrets that the mandate was renewed for only three months. As a member of the European Union, Ireland is concerned that such a short time frame could threaten the continuation of the European Union Naval Force Operation Atalanta, which conducts a crucial counter- piracy naval operation in the region. Ireland takes note of Somalia’s wish to amend the current coordination in the fight against piracy and, in that regard, looks forward to productive discussions with Somalia on ways to achieve our shared objectives.

I now give the floor to the representative of Somalia.

First of all, allow me to express to you, Mr. President, the satisfaction of the delegation of Somalia at seeing your country preside over the Security Council this month. The Niger is a friend of Somalia to which we wish every success and pledge our full support during your presidency. I also want to take this opportunity to thank the United States of America, penholder on resolution 2608 (2021), for its efforts to bring people together. We believe that the Security Council resolutions on piracy and armed robbery off the coast of Somalia have successfully achieved their intended objective. Today there is no single piracy-related incident off the coast of Somalia for the fourth consecutive year, with no single piracy-related hostage in Somalia, thanks to the efforts of the Federal Government of Somalia in collaboration with the international community. In that regard, we gave consent for a technical rollover of three months to allow for our transition to a bilateral maritime cooperation framework within Somalia’s national waters to help us on maritime security, which is the only sustainable way to preserve hard-earned gains. We welcome the planned permanent closure of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia Trust Fund this month, as its mandate, structure and working methods are outdated and not aligned with the Federal Government of Somalia’s strategic priorities. Moreover, we firmly believe that the Contact Group is neither inclusive nor useful at this stage  — and therefore last year indefinitely withdrew our support and participation in any of the group’s future activities. We thank international partners for their contributions to the Trust Fund to support the initiatives of the States countering piracy off the coast of Somalia over the past decade. Moving forward, we encourage aligning future support with the policy of the Federal Government of Somalia to counter all maritime crimes in a systematic and sustainable manner, including reinforcing the Somali National Coast Guard and the Somali National Navy. As all members are aware, piracy is only one of the many threats to maritime security off the coast of Somalia. And the persistence of illegal, underreported and unregulated fishing in Somalia’s exclusive economic zone remains a major concern. In that regard, we urge Member States to abide by domestic and international regulations and take all the necessary measures to ensure compliance and prevent illegal, underreported and unregulated fishing off the coast of Somalia. Our decision today to explore other ways and means in the maritime domain in general is guided by our duty to take into account our national priorities and concerns, as each Member State must ensure that it maintains its sovereignty and preserves its rights to regulate, as well as the ability to manage, its territorial and maritime resources. Indeed, the militarization of our national Somali waters over 15 years has been a successful operation that has led to the eradication of piracy. But the absence of pirates leaves no doubt as to the fact that the continuation of that militarization of our national and territorial waters is definitely an issue not linked to piracy or armed robbery off the coast of Somalia. Thirteen years after this resolution was first adopted, the milestone reached of there being not a single incident of piracy for four consecutive years, and no piracy hostages being held in Somalia, is true testament of the Federal Government of Somalia’s ownership of the problem, in addition to our hard work in collaboration with our international partners. We will continue our comprehensive approach combining development, security and good governance. We will spare no effort in our fight against insecurity and injustice in all its forms. My last comment is an expression of gratitude to the five outgoing elected members of the Council leaving this body at the end of the month, namely, Estonia, the Niger, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia and Viet Nam, for their valuable cooperation and contributions during their mandate. I thank them all.