Contact Group on Piracy off Somalia Meets Today in New York

The Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) will hold its Sixteenth Plenary Session at the UN Headquarters in New York today, 14th of May 2014, under the Chairmanship of the European Union.

The meeting will focus on three major policy areas: (i) capacity building in the region off the coast of Somalia; (ii) the anti-piracy operations and mitigation actions by the international community; (iii) the disruption of piracy networks ashore.

The Plenary will open with key note speeches from Mr. Jeffrey Feltman, UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, the IOC Secretary General Mr. Jean-Claude de l’Estrac and the Somali National Security Adviser, Sheikh Issa and it will be chaired by EEAS Deputy Secretary General Maciej Popowski.

The Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPSC) was created on January 14, 2009 pursuant to UN Security Council Resolution 1851. This voluntary ad hoc international forum brings together those stakeholders affected by Somali piracy: countries from the region, Western Europe, Middle East and Asia, industry, seafarers’ organisations and NGOs.

The Contact Group coordinates political, military, and non-governmental efforts to tackle piracy off the coast of Somalia, ensure that pirates are brought to justice, and supports regional states to develop sustainable maritime security capabilities.

The EU assumed the chairmanship of the Contact Group on the 1st of January 2014 with Maciej Popowski, Deputy Secretary General of the European External Action Service (EEAS) as EU chairperson.

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Press Release, May 14, 2014, Image: EEAS