From the 5th to 7th of July the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia held its 20th plenary meeting in Mauritius. Christian Bueger and Robert McCabe from the SAFESEAS team participated in the working group meetings and plenary discussions. Dr. Bueger was part of the Seychelles delegation and advised the Chairmen’s team during the event, while Dr. McCabe was attending as an observer.
The CGPCS is the main instrument of the international community to coordinate the response to Somali piracy and is also important in organising maritime security in the Western Indian Ocean region more broadly. Capacity Building with reference to both Somalia as well as the wider region was a major topic of the discussion. The international community reconfirmed its commitment to support Somalia and regional countries in their efforts.
For SAFESEAS the plenary also provided an important opportunity to meet and discuss with key stakeholders, such as UNODC, Ocean Beyond Piracy, EU Crimario, or the Kenyan Maritime Authority.