Report on the Maritime Safety and Port Security ... - PMAESA
Report on the Maritime Safety and Port Security ... - PMAESA
Report on the Maritime Safety and Port Security ... - PMAESA
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made <strong>on</strong> promoti<strong>on</strong> of maritime safety, security <strong>and</strong> combating piracy in <strong>the</strong> Eastern <strong>and</strong><br />
Sou<strong>the</strong>rn Africa (ESA) regi<strong>on</strong>. He pointed out that it was high time <strong>the</strong> port community<br />
was involved in <strong>the</strong> issue of dealing with piracy as <strong>the</strong>y were victims of <strong>the</strong> problem.<br />
5. Ms Mapolao Mokoena a representative of SADC Secretariat, in her opening<br />
statement emphasized <strong>the</strong> need for all member states to take collective resp<strong>on</strong>sibility in<br />
h<strong>and</strong>ling <strong>the</strong> safety <strong>and</strong> security issues in <strong>the</strong> Regi<strong>on</strong>, noting that this approach was<br />
supported by <strong>the</strong> SADC Transport Protocol which calls for Member States to apply<br />
internati<strong>on</strong>al st<strong>and</strong>ards <strong>and</strong> recommended IMO practices.<br />
B. Workshop Proceedings<br />
6. A number of presentati<strong>on</strong>s were made <strong>on</strong> maritime safety, port security <strong>and</strong><br />
piracy. The presentati<strong>on</strong>s ranged from Overview <strong>on</strong> Piracy <strong>and</strong> Surveillance in <strong>the</strong> ESA<br />
regi<strong>on</strong>, Country positi<strong>on</strong>s <strong>on</strong> ISPS Code Implementati<strong>on</strong> Status, Role of US Coast<br />
Guards <strong>and</strong> US Navy Forces in <strong>Maritime</strong> <strong>Safety</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Port</strong> <strong>Security</strong> in <strong>the</strong> regi<strong>on</strong>.<br />
Overview <strong>on</strong> Piracy <strong>and</strong> Surveillance in <strong>the</strong> Regi<strong>on</strong><br />
7. Col. Victor Gamor representing United Nati<strong>on</strong>s Political Office for Somalia<br />
(UNPOS) presented a paper <strong>on</strong> <strong>the</strong> overview <strong>on</strong> piracy <strong>and</strong> surveillance in <strong>the</strong> regi<strong>on</strong>,<br />
<strong>the</strong> presentati<strong>on</strong> highlighted <strong>the</strong> challenges posed by piracy off <strong>the</strong> Somalia coast. Major<br />
am<strong>on</strong>g <strong>the</strong>m being <strong>the</strong> absence of an effective central authority in <strong>the</strong> country which has<br />
provided an envir<strong>on</strong>ment c<strong>on</strong>ducive to support piracy both <strong>on</strong> l<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> offshore. The<br />
paper enumerated <strong>the</strong> internati<strong>on</strong>al resp<strong>on</strong>se to piracy which included Task Force 101,<br />
NATO Task Force <strong>and</strong> a number of individual country initiatives. He noted that though<br />
<strong>the</strong> military operati<strong>on</strong>s at sea are achieving positive results, <strong>the</strong> legal issues remained a<br />
big challenge in this area. The questi<strong>on</strong> <strong>on</strong> how l<strong>on</strong>g <strong>the</strong> operati<strong>on</strong>s were going to be<br />
sustained remained unanswered.<br />
8. Col. Gamor fur<strong>the</strong>r gave an overview of <strong>the</strong> coordinati<strong>on</strong> mechanisms <strong>and</strong> intercluster<br />
linkages in place. He gave details of <strong>the</strong> C<strong>on</strong>tact Group <strong>on</strong> Piracy of <strong>the</strong> coast of<br />
Somalia (CGPCS) that was created in New York in January 2009. This is fur<strong>the</strong>r<br />
complemented by Nairobi Nexus <strong>and</strong> Inter-cluster linkages, Joint <strong>Security</strong> Committee<br />
<strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>on</strong>-going <strong>Security</strong> Sector Assessment (SSA) missi<strong>on</strong>.<br />
9. In c<strong>on</strong>clusi<strong>on</strong> he emphasized <strong>the</strong> need for a holistic approach in fighting piracy<br />
which is multidimensi<strong>on</strong>al in nature while noting that <strong>the</strong> root causes <strong>and</strong> c<strong>on</strong>tributing<br />
factors of piracy lie <strong>on</strong> both l<strong>and</strong> <strong>and</strong> offshore. Finally, he underscored a need for<br />
financial <strong>and</strong> material support to stabilize <strong>the</strong> security envir<strong>on</strong>ment <strong>and</strong> support <strong>the</strong><br />
Transiti<strong>on</strong>al Federal Government to exercise effective c<strong>on</strong>trol throughout Somalia.<br />
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