CGPCS NEWSLETTER December 2014

The Contact Group on Piracy of the Coast of Somalia (CGPSC) was created on January 14, 2009 pursuant to UN Security Council Resoluton 1851. This voluntary ad hoc internatonal forum brings together those stakeholders afected by Somali piracy: countries from the region, Western Europe, Middle East and Asia, industry, seafarer’s organisatons and NGOs. The Contact Group coordinates politcal, military, and non-governmental eforts to tackle piracy of the coast of Somalia, ensure that pirates are brought to justce, and support regional states to develop sustainable maritme security capabilites. Impressions 2014 UAE Counter-piracy Week Message From The Chairman The 2014 UAE Counter-piracy week was organised as a joint Dear Friends and Colleagues of the CGPCS, endeavour between the European Union as Chair of the CGPCS I hope you have – as I did – returned home from Dubai and the Government of the UAE. It brought together two high level with a sense of accomplishment. Looking back at and complementary events: the 17th Plenary Session of the CGPCS the 2014 UAE Counter-piracy Week, the picture that and the 4th UAE Counter-piracy Conference. This formula proved emerges is positve. We organized it around two high to be very efectve as it allowed the Contact Group stakeholders level, complementary events: our 17th Plenary Session and Conference partcipants to strategize and discuss concrete and and the fourth UAE Counter-piracy Conference. Whereas specifc acton to support Somalia and the region to fght piracy, the CGPCS focussed on internatonal coordinaton and addressing its root causes on land and galvanizing internatonal capacity building, the UAE Conference focussed on support. The UAE Counter-piracy Week atracted 67 delegatons state recovery and insttuton building through public- and over 600 partcipants from states of the Arabian Peninsula, private partnerships. I think this formula worked very Africa, Europe, Asia, the Americas, internatonal organizatons, the well and I have expressed my grattude to the UAE private sector, academia and NGO’s. government for their support. The Counter-piracy Week presented a dense program, with During the UAE Counter-piracy Week, we received the meetngs and actvites. The frst meetng to kick-of the program happy news of the release of seven (Indian) seafarers was the special, ad hoc, meetng on the scope of the High Risk Area. belonging to the crew of MV Asphalt Venture. As Chair The purpose of this meetng was to allow all stakeholders to explain of the CGPCS I am very pleased with their release their positon and put forward ideas on the scope of the HRA. and salute their resilience, steadfastness and moral Stakeholders expressed the wish to identfy a shared, common, way strength. To date 30 seafarers are stll being held captve forward. And it was important to note that all stakeholders agreed in Somalia, many have been held hostage for more to adopt a high degree of responsibility in approaching this subject. than four years. We have called for their immediate As we concluded in the Communiqué: “While it is evident that the release. Moreover, we established a ‘Piracy Survivor decision to change Family Fund’ to provide social and medical care for or revoke the HRA PIRACY CURRENT the released but ofen traumatzed seafarers and their procedurally rests STATISTICS NUMBER families (of which more elsewhere in this Newsleter). with industry, it is acknowledged So far we have made very good progress on the three HOSTAGES that interested, priorites we have set: (1) zero ships and zero seafarers HELD BY non-industry 30 in the hands of Somali pirates; (2) the reform of the PIRATES stakeholders should structures of the CGPCS; (3) documentng the lessons be consulted when It is believed learned of the CGPCS. But we are not there yet. We reviewing the scope that all vessels need to contnue our commitment to make sure that held by pirates of the HRA. The the region is strong enough to prevent any relapse of VESSELS have become meetng agreed that piracy. HELD BY defunct, have a future meetng on PIRATES run aground and With best personal regards the same subject do not possess should be convened any oceangoing capacity Maciej Popowski by the Chair of the CGPCS by end of Source: Internatonal Maritme Bureau

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March 2015 to facilitate a recommendaton on the review of CGPCS or capacity building coordinaton. Inital analyses show the scope of the HRA.” how the CGPCS has achieved an internatonal positon as an The CGPCS Working Groups and the Legal Forum met in the in efectve multlateral mechanism, and that its experimental new format. The WG ‘Capacity Building’, co-chaired by UK and governance and mult-layered approach has the potental to the Indian Ocean Commission, agreed to a paper on priorites be replicated elsewhere. for counter piracy capacity building to end of 2016. The WG The CGPCS Presidency was supported for the entre week ‘Counter maritme piracy and mitgaton operatons’, co- by the Flagship of Operaton Atalanta, Italian destroyer ITS chaired by the UAE, and Seychelles, had its consttuent ANDREA DORIA, on port call in Dubai. Warm thanks have meetng back and agreed that Maritme Situatonal Awareness been extended to the Atalanta colleagues and the Italian should be included in its work plan. The WG ‘Countering Pirate Government for their excellent support. networks Ashore’, chaired by Italy, observed that pirate leaders and fnanciers are enjoying de facto impunity in Somalia. The Legal Forum of the CGPCS, chaired by Portugal and Mauritus, discussed and adopted the Strategic Plan of this legal network, thus framing the mission of the Legal Forum as a platorm for the study, analysis and discussion of legal maters related to piracy issues. A new dedicated website (www.piracylegalforum. org) was launched for that purpose. The CGPCS Lessons Learned Consortum completed the frst stage of analysis of the CGPCS. The EUISS has published a special report on the genesis and development of the CGPCS and its Working Groups. The Lessons learned Consortum, led by Cardif University has prepared an online repository of lessons learned, which is available at EU Force Commander, Rear Admiral Guido Rando with Alessandro Mariani from www.lessonsfrompiracy.net. It includes stakeholder European External Acton Service and the Commanding Ofcer of ITS Andrea contributons and reports from a group of internatonal Doria, Captain Angelo Virdis onboard the EU Flagship during UAE Counter-Piracy analysts on diferent features, including the legitmacy of the Week in Port Rashid, Dubai - Photo: EU Naval Force

CGPCS launches Piracy Survivor Family Fund while many of these seafarers have been well cared for, many have not. An estmated 1000 or more face Nearly 4,000 seafarers have been held hostage by Somali contnued indebtedness as a consequence of lost wages pirates, while 30 seafarers stll remain in captvity, some during their detenton, and ofen acute medical and other for more than four years; as many as 80,000 others have health problems, as well as family tensions and problems been subjected to an atack. associated with returning to gainful employment as a Many of these seafarers have been traumatsed to some result of the traumas they experienced. Some require degree by this experience and would beneft from either other support such as psycho-social counselling, fnancial medical or social support or both. During the 2014 UAE assistance for educaton of their children and in more Counter-piracy Week the CGPCS has therefore established extreme cases for rents and food. a Piracy Survivor Family Fund to facilitate such support to Bereaved families have similar needs many of which piracy survivors and their families on their return home, are exacerbated by the permanent loss of the sole breadwinner for the extended family. The EU Chair of the CGPCS, Maciej Popowski said that “The Fund shows the maritme sector to be a people oriented employer and, while we keep pushing to bring pirate leaders to justce, it allows the internatonal community to deal with the grim humanitarian legacy of Somali piracy by making a major contributon to the recovery and rehabilitaton of the many thousands of seafarers and their relatves who have been the innocent victms.” The Fund will be administered by the not-for-proft Chirag Bahri, MPHRP Regional Director for South Asia with 7 released seafarers Maritme Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme from MV Asphalt Venture who were released during UAE Counter-Piracy Week- (www.mphrp.org), which will also manage the applicaton Photo: MPHRP process with the assistance of other advocacy groups www.thecgpcs.org 2 of 6 CGPCS NEWSLETTER December 2014 including the UNODC’s Hostage Support Program. MPHRP is a CGPCS stakeholder and will charge no overhead. The target capitalizaton of the Fund is USD 250,000 and several States and other stakeholders have already pledged considerable support. All CGPCS Stakeholders are kindly requested to consider contributng to the Fund. For further informaton please contact: Peter Swif at MPHRP via [email protected]

One of the released crew-members from the MV Asphalt Venture returns to his home town to a heroes welcome - Photo: MPHRP

CGPCS Lessons Learned Project delivers frst experimental and mult-layered approach of the CGPCS is novel in global governance. As a laboratory that delivers, the CGPCS results performs a range of critcal functons such as networking, trust The Lessons Learned Project has completed the frst phase of its and confdence building, awareness raising or mutual learning. work. The Lessons Learned project contnues to collect the experience A report has been published by the EU Insttute for of CGPCS partcipants and invites short comments and Security Studies which includes essays on the work and expressions of interest for an interview to be published in the achievements of the CGPCS plenary and the working “in conversaton with…” series. The point of contact for this is groups. The report documents how the CGPCS managed Christan Bueger from Cardif University who can be contacted to play a vital coordinatng role in military coordinaton, via email at: [email protected]. the harmonizaton of law, as well as in capacity building. As the report lays out the CGPCS indeed promises to become a role model in other areas of concern of the internatonal community, including maritme security more broadly. The Report is online available at: htp:// www.iss.europa.eu/uploads/ media/Report_20_Piracy_off_ the_coast_of_Somalia.pdf Cardif University has opened the lessons learned repository on a publically available website. The repository includes a broad range of contributons on lessons learned from the CGPCS community. A set of interviews on the work of the CGPCS with core individuals have been published. Lessons learned essays from a group of Screenshot from the Lessons From Piracy website developed by the CGPCS internatonal researchers, including from Kenya, China, , Lessons Learnt Consortum. and , which analyse a specifc dimension of the The website can be accessed at www.lessonsfrompiracy.net CGPCS in-depth are available. The repository contnues to grow and promises to become an invaluable source for understanding how the CGPCS works. Forcefully the Lessons Learned project shows how the

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“Sustained response to Somalia piracy requires Counter-Piracy Trust Fund Board approves three efective State governance” - Mr Jefrey Feltman, projects worth $900,000 UN Political Chief While notng the progress made to combat piracy of the coast The Board of the Trust Fund to Support Initatves of States of Somalia, the United Natons politcal chief today said that Countering Piracy of the Coast of Somalia held its sixteenth a sustained long-term soluton must include the presence of meetng on 28 October 2014 in Dubai, as part of the 2014 UAE efectve Government and State insttutons that provide basic Counter-Piracy week. services and alternatve ways for people to make a living. The meetng was chaired by Mr. Sam Ibok, Director of Africa-1 Briefng the Security Council on piracy of the coast of the east Division in the Department of Politcal Afairs. Mr. Ibok noted African naton on 22 October 2014, Under-Secretary-General for that incidents of piracy of the coast of Somalia are at their Politcal Afairs Mr Jefrey Feltman said that this mult-pronged lowest in seven years and he called for contnued support of approach may be “a dauntng, but unavoidable task, for it will the internatonal community to capitalise the Fund and bridge enable Somalia to efectvely address, and ultmately defeat, critcal gaps in counter-piracy eforts. piracy.” “State collapse in Somalia and other politcal challenges lie at the root of the problem,” Feltman said, adding that this was acknowledged in relevant Security Council resolutons, including the most recent resoluton 2125 (2013). Mr Feltman also introduced to the Council the Secretary-General’s report on piracy submited pursuant to that resoluton. Since the The Board approved three projects worth $900,000, which adopton of the frst Security Council resoluton on the mater were submited by FAO and UNODC. Two FAO projects seek in June 2008, some of the most urgent responses have revolved to provide biometrics-based fshermen and vessels database around the “twin axes of deterring pirate atacks and prosecutng system for the Ministry of Fisheries, Marine Resources and Ports and sanctoning of pirates,” he said. Coordinated eforts by of Galmudug, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Member States, organizatons and the maritme industry have Fisheries of Jubbaland. A similar system will be provided to the caused incidents of piracy reported of the coast of Somalia to “Somaliland” Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Development. drop to their lowest levels in recent years. Indeed, the last tme These systems will support monitoring control and surveillance a large commercial vessel was hijacked was more than two years of fsheries resources while at the same tme providing important ago. informaton for the counter piracy eforts. However, Mr Feltman warns, that progress is in danger of reversing without contnued deterrence from the internatonal naval presence and the self-protecton measures adopted by the shipping industry. “This progress is fragile and reversible. We stll see pirates atemptng to atack vessels and capture them for ransom,” Mr Feltman told the Council. The UNODC project will equip 80 at-risk youth in Bossaso with livelihood skills, deterring their involvement in piracy and violent actvites and contributng to the economic development of their communites.

Jefrey Feltman, Under-Secretary-General for Politcal Afair, briefs the Security Council at its meetng on the situaton with respect to piracy and armed robbery at sea of the coast of Somalia. - Photo: UN

www.thecgpcs.org This Newsletter is realised 4 of 6 with the technical support of CGPCS NEWSLETTER December 2014 EUCAP Nestor Co-Hosts Maritime Crime joined by key internatonal players working on capacity building.The event was co-hosted by the Tanzanian Director Conference in Tanzania as well as hosting a visit of Public Prosecuton Ofce and EUCAP Nestor. The opening of EU CIVCOM to its Djibouti HQ and its new ceremony was atended by the Director of Public Prosecuton ofces in Mogadishu (United Republic Republic of Tanzania), Biswalo Eutropius Kachele Mganga, as well as the Head of the EU Delegaton in The last few weeks have been very busy for EUCAP Nestor, the Tanzania, Filiberto Ceriani Sebregondi, and the Head of EUCAP Maritme Security Capacity Building Mission of the European Nestor, Etenne de Poncins. Union in the Horn of Africa and Western Indian Ocean. From 19 - 21 November, a Delegaton of the EU Commitee for Civilian Aspects of Crisis Management – CIVCOM – led by the Chair of CIVCOM Mika-Markus Leinonen, carried out a technical visit to EUCAP Nestor.

Delegates from Third Regional Conference of Prosecutors dealing with Piracy and Maritme Crime held in Dar Es Salaam- Photo: EUCAP Nestor

Delegates from EU Commitee for Civilian Aspects of Crisis Management (CIVCOM) EU Naval Force Operation Commander and visit EUCAP Nestor Ofces in Djibout and Mogadishu as well as EU Naval Force Warship HNLMS Van Speijk- Photo: EUCAP Nestor IMO Secretary-General Warn No Room for Complacency Against Somali Piracy The aim of the visit was to provide the 16 Delegates from all The Operaton Commander of the EU Naval Force, Major over Europe with an overview of EUCAP Nestor’s actvites in General Martn Smith MBE, visited the Secretary-General the region. of the Internatonal Maritme Organizaton (IMO), Mr Koji EUCAP Nestor which has been actve in the region since Sekimizu, at the IMO headquarters in London on Wednesday July 2012 and has its Headquarters in Djibout, just recently 26 November. expanded its actvites into Somalia. Staf composed of legal, Meetng to discuss the current situaton of the Horn of Africa, maritme and police experts, are now based permanently the two leaders agreed that Somali-based piracy remains a in Hargeisa and from next week in Mogadishu to carry out threat to internatonal shipping, and agreed that there was maritme security capacity building actvites. no room for complacency where pirates are concerned. Naval The Delegaton frst visited EUCAP Nestor HQ in Djibout and forces are stll very much required in the West Indian Ocean, met with representatves of the Partners of EUCAP Nestor in and merchant ships should contnue to apply IMO guidance the Maritme sector as well as the Government. The Mission and Best Management Practces with diligence. was welcomed by the Minister of Foreign Afairs and had the To that end, Mr Sekimizu welcomed the extension of the EU’s opportunity for a technical discussion. They also visited EU Operaton Atalanta counter-piracy mandate to the end of Naval Force Warship HNLMS Van Speijk which was on a port 2016, which was announced in Brussels on 21 November. visit to Djibout. The following day, they visited the new ofces of the Mission in Hargeisa, Somaliland, and met with partners of the Mission from the Coast Guard, other relevant Ministries and high level Government Ofcials. From the 24 November, EUCAP Nestor maritme, legal and police experts are permanently deployed in Mogadishu. The Mission operatonal base is located in Mogadishu Internatonal Airport. This is the second mission feld ofce now open in Somalia. Other EUCAP Nestor experts are already fully operatonal in Hargeisa, Somaliland. In December, prosecutors from around the Horn of Africa and Western Indian Ocean region gathered in Dar Es Salaam, EU Naval Force Operaton Commander Major General Martn Smith (right) Tanzania, for the Third Regional Conference of Prosecutors visited the Secretary-General of the Internatonal Maritme Organizaton (IMO), dealing with Piracy and other Maritme Crime. They were Mr Koji Sekimizu, to discuss the current situaton of the Horn of Africa - Photo: EU Naval Force www.thecgpcs.org 5 of 6 CGPCS NEWSLETTER December 2014 NATO Continues Training of Somali Port Police Commander Thorbjørn Hein, had a chance to talk with her. “She is in a leadership positon on the force and is respected by During November, 508 of NATO’s counter-piracy her colleagues,” said Commander Hein. “She is aware of her Operaton OCEAN SHIELD contnued its efort to build regional responsibility as a role model for other women in the region.” capacity through two days of training Somali Boosaaso Port Police on board the fagship HDMS ESBERN SNARE. The graduaton ceremony on board HDMS ESBERN SNARE was atended by the Minister of Marine Transport, Ports and This training built upon earlier eforts conducted since October, where Counter Piracy, Mr. Abdallah Jama Saleh, the Chief of the Boosaaso Coast Guard personnel from the Galmudug Region on Somalia’s Port Police, Colonel Mohammad Ali Hashi, and Deputy Minister for east coast and other Boosaaso Port Police received similar training. Fishery and Marine Resource, Mr. Mohamud Mohamed Ali. “What I have seen during these two days has impressed me,” “With the frst two groups, we were really breaking new ground, said Commander s.g. Rassussen, as he handed out graduaton but now the feeling is more that of a contnued efort,” said the certfcates to the 17 trainees. “You are skilled, professional, and Commanding Ofcer of HDMS ESBERN SNARE, Commander s.g. eager to learn. I wish you all the best and I hope that the next tme Henrik Holck Rasmussen. “It points towards the long term goal we will not be training you, but we will conduct exercises together.” of local Somali forces maintaining maritme security themselves.”

The training programme was identcal to the one completed by the frst group of trainees from Boosaaso Port Police to ensure that the policemen have a homogeneous level of training. The programme included boarding operatons, frst aid, the legal basis for maritme law enforcement, and how to secure evidence for trials against maritme criminals.

This second group of trainees from the Boosaaso Port Police was distnct from the previous group by having a female partcipant. The NATO Gender Focal Point in Operaton OCEAN SHIELD, Members of Boosaaso Port Police conduct training with the crew of HDMS Esbern Snare the fagship of NATO CTF 508 Operaton Ocean Shield - Photo: NATO

Thailand assumes command of CTF-151 in NATO, the European Union Naval Force and the other independent deployers, with whom we are glad to share our Rear Admiral Pakorn Wanich of the has success. assumed command of the Combined Maritme Forces (CMF) counter-piracy operatons from Commodore Tony Millar, In closing he said that the threat had not gone away: MNZM, , at a ceremony in Bahrain on “There have been dozens of reports of suspicious behaviour 25 November 2014. The ceremony marked ’s second which could easily have become pirate atacks, but our ships command of Combined Task Force 151 (CTF-151). and aircraf were ‘on the beat’ to deter and defeat aggressors. Commodore Millar, who has led CTF-151 since 28 August We must not take our eye of the ball and allow these criminals 2014, said: to reassert themselves. Piracy remains a human tragedy. We would be failing the thirty hostages who are stll illegally “My team and I have mixed feelings at the end of our tme in imprisoned following acts of piracy if we forgot that.” command of CTF-151. On one hand, we are very much looking forward to returning to home to our families and friends safe in the knowledge that we have made a positve diference in this important and dynamic region. However, we will be sad to leave the dedicated professionals at CMF who we have come to know as both colleagues and friends.” Looking back on the achievements of the team, he added: “I am delighted that this Kiwi command of CTF-151, supported by our Dutch, Japanese and Singaporean ofcers, has been a success. There have been no successful pirate atacks in the last four months thanks, in no small part, to the men and women involved in CTF-151’s mission, from my headquarters team in Bahrain to the crews of the 12 ships and three Maritme Patrol Commodore Tony Millar from the Royal New Zealand Navy hands over command of CTF-151 to Rear Admiral Pakorn Wanich from the Royal Thai Navy as Vice Reconnaissance Aircraf that we have worked with over the Admiral John W Miller, the US Navy’s Fifh Fleet Commander and Commander of last four months. I also want to pay tribute to our colleagues the Combined Maritme Forces, looks on - Photo: CMF www.thecgpcs.org This Newsletter is realised 6 of 6 with the technical support of