Circular letter No.3252 29 February 2012 To: IMO ... - Ics.org.ir

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Circular letter No.3252
29 February 2012
To:
IMO Members
UN and Specialized Agencies
Intergovernmental Organizations
Non-Governmental Organizations in consultative status with IMO
Subject:
IMO Conference on Capacity-building to Counter Piracy off the
Coast of Somalia (IMO Headquarters, 15 May 2012)
1 The Secretary-General has the honour to invite representation at the IMO Conference
on Capacity-building to Counter Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, which will take place at the IMO
Headquarters, on Tuesday, 15 May 2012.
2 The Meeting will be conducted in English without interpretation. The provisional
programme for the Meeting is attached.
3 Any documentation will be distributed as and when received by the Secretariat.
Participants are invited to note that any meeting documentation will be in English only.
Background
4 The Organization has had a long involvement in combating piracy, not just
Somali-based but also in other parts of the world. IMO was, for example, instrumental in
establishing the framework for collaboration among the littoral States of the Straits of Malacca
and Singapore and the South China Sea, the ReCAAP Agreement and its ISC in Singapore,
which proved successful in significantly reducing the number of acts of piracy in that region.
5 More recently, IMO was first in drawing the problem of piracy off the coast of Somalia to
the attention of the United Nations Security Council; and, since then, it has been in the vanguard
of counter-piracy efforts, often on its own initiative and often in collaboration with others.
6 IMO has worked intensively in recent years to strengthen the protection of persons,
ships and cargoes in piracy-infested areas and also preserve the integrity of shipping lanes of
strategic importance and significance through the development of Guidelines, Best Management
Practices and cooperation with naval forces in the high-risk areas including the Gulf of Aden and
the western Indian ocean.
7 While not diminishing in any way the importance of immediate, preventative measures
and the need for their full implementation by all concerned, an ever-greater emphasis will now
have to be placed on tackling the problem in Somalia and providing further assistance to
countries in the south-western Indian ocean. In this context, the Secretariat is currently
preparing a new Project: Protection of Southern Shipping Lane in the context of the
implementation of the Djibouti Code of Conduct.
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8 The building of effective counter-piracy capacity and infrastructure in the affected
region; the development of proper legal and jurisdictional infrastructures; undermining the pirate
economy and its associated financial model; helping to develop viable, alternative sources of
income for those who have been, or may be, tempted to turn to crime, are some of the areas on
which IMO will have to focus, if piracy is to be brought to an end in that region.
9 IMO has been active in all these areas and will have to renew its focus and increase its
efforts to help create the conditions in which the people of Somalia will be able to live their lives
under proper governance and the protection of an effective rule of law.
10 The Secretary-General discussed cooperation between IMO and the UN to combat
Somalia-based piracy with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at a meeting at
UN Headquarters in New York in January 2012.
11 The meeting was arranged to follow the October 2011 report in which
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon encouraged UN Member States and multinational organizations
to consider how best to contribute further to address the root causes of piracy, including through
developing land-based initiatives to strengthen Somali and regional maritime and law
enforcement capacity; and the endorsement of IMO's work in this area, reiterated in November
2011 by the UN Security Council.
12 The Secretary-General and Mr. Ban discussed how capacity-building in Somalia and
neighbouring countries should be enhanced through cooperation between IMO and the UN,
UN specialized agencies and other relevant international organizations, building on IMO's
existing capacity-building activities under the Djibouti Code of Conduct and its associated Trust
Fund.
13 IMO is, therefore, organizing this Conference on 15 May 2012 from which tangible
outcomes on the way forward are expected to emerge.
14 IMO will continue its capacity-building programme in the region but will also have to
focus on sustainable development with regard to counter-piracy initiatives and programmes in
support of core objectives under the Organization's competence, for example the enhancement
of maritime safety and security, training and certification of seafarers and fishing vessel
personnel, the development of SAR facilities and maritime legislation and situational awareness
capabilities.
15 Cooperation between and among States, regions and organizations is key for a lasting
solution to piracy off the coast of Somalia. Piracy is a symptom, which can be treated and its
effects can be alleviated, and IMO has been instrumental and, to some extent, successful in
doing this over many years. However, real progress can only be made by addressing the cause
that is ashore in Somalia.
Registration and security
16 With reference to Circular letter No.2692 of 20 January 2006 concerning security at IMO
meetings, all delegates are required to carry a specially-issued pass to gain access to IMO
meetings. Issuance of the security pass will require photo proof of identity, e.g. passport, identity
card or driving licence. Delegates may also be required to show proof of identity if requested by
IMO Security. In view of the significant costs incurred in the production of the pass, delegates
who have previously been issued with a security pass are kindly requested to bring this pass
with them for reactivation.
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17 Additionally, Member Governments, IGOs and NGOs are required to provide, prior to
the meeting date, the list of their representatives, including Permanent Representatives, head of
delegations, alternates, advisers or observers via the Online Meeting Registration System
(OMRS), as advised in Circular letter No.3251 to facilitate their entry into the building and for the
production of the list of participants.
The list of representatives, which serves as authorization for representatives to attend, must be
on official letter-headed paper and signed by the responsible officer of the Government or
organization concerned should be attached to the registration details sent via the OMRS,
by 2 May 2012, at the latest.
Any issues related to the use of the OMRS should be communicated to:
Registration Unit
Conference Section
E-mail: registration@imo.org
18 No representative will be registered without such evidence of authorization to attend the
meeting. Delegates whose names appear on the aforementioned list will be issued with the
requisite pass, which will include a photograph of the bearer. Delegates whose names are not
on the list will be requested to provide evidence of their authorization to attend the meeting.
19 Delegates are advised that the Registration Desk will be open for registration
from 7.30 a.m. on 15 May 2012, when early arrival could be of assistance.
***
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PROVISIONAL PROGRAMME FOR THE
IMO CONFERENCE ON CAPACITY-BUILDING
TO COUNTER PIRACY OFF THE COAST OF SOMALIA
IMO Headquarters
Tuesday, 15 May 2012
09.30 – 09.50 Opening Address by the Secretary-General
09.50 – 10.10 UNPOS Somalia support programme
10.10 – 10.30 Djibouti Code of Conduct (DCoC) signatory – Outcome of the
High-level DCoC Review Meeting
10.30 – 11.00 IMO Counter-piracy support programme
maritime infrastructure capacity-building
law enforcement capacity-building
Djibouti Code of Conduct project implementation
Launch of "Protective of Southern Shipping Lane" initiative
11.00 – 11.30 Coffee Break
11.30 – 11.50 UNODC Counter-piracy capacity-building programme
11.50 – 12.10 FAO Counter-piracy capacity-building programme
12.10 – 12.30 WFP support programme
12.30 – 14.30 Lunch
14.30 – 14.50 EU Counter-piracy capacity-building programme
14.50 – 16.00 Member Governments – Counter-piracy capacity-building
programmes
16.00 – 16.30 Coffee Break
16.30 – 17.00 NGOs/IGOs – Counter-piracy capacity-building programmes
17.00 – 17.30 Signing ceremony (IMO/FAO/UNODC/UNPOS/WFP/EU)
***
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Meeting: IMO CONFERENCE ON
CAPACITY-BUILDING TO COUNTER
PIRACY OFF THE COAST OF SOMALIA
Tuesday, 15 May 2012
PRE-REGISTRATION FORM
Attendee Name Last Name: First Name:
Title
(Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms/Other)
Position
Organization
Delegation
Attendee Status
Documents required
during the meeting
Preferred address
during the meeting
Head of
Delegation Representative Alternate Adviser Observer
English only
I wish to receive paper copies during the meeting
Yes
No
Permanent Contact information (optional):
Name
Job Title
Organization/Company
Street line 1
Street line 2
City
State/County
Post Code/Zip
Country
Phone
FAX
Mobile phone
E-Mail
Please fill in the blank fields and return the form to IMO either by e-mail to registration@imo.org
or FAX at +44 20 7463 4116.
___________
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