Security Council

Security Council Issues

1.Maritime piracy in Singapore, the Eastern African coast and the Caribbean

The seas are a unique legal milieu of flag, port and coastal state jurisdiction. Criminal offenses on the oceans frequently involve perpetrators, victims and witnesses from multiple countries. Most of the oceans and airspace above the seas lie beyond any coastal state's jurisdiction, so cooperation with flag states-which typically exercise exclusive jurisdiction over their vessels at sea--is essential for effective action. Developing workable legal and policy solutions provides the basis for collective action and can tie regional and global efforts into a more effective approach. With such diverse and varied interests converging to address piracy, ensuring there is a unity of effort, effective communication, coordination and support for punishing perpetrators is critical.



In contemporary discussions of piracy, the International Maritime Organisation and the International Maritime Bureau have a dominant role in defining piracy and setting the counter-piracy agenda as they are the key international organisations involved in anti-piracy activities. The IMO is a specialised organisation within the United Nations that has the mandate to develop international standards for promoting safe and envieronmentally sound shipping activities. The IMB, a part of the Intenational Chamber of Commerce (ICC), established the Anti-Piracy Centre (APC) for the explicit purpose of reducing the incidence of piracy. In defining piracy, both organisations emphsise that piracy involves an attack on a ship. This focus on ships runs counter to historical usage that included attacks on settlements by maritime marauders. In the past, pirate activities were directed as much to coastal raiding as to attacks on ships. Raids for booty and for slaves triggered the depopulation of entire coastlines. With the political, economic, and military development of coastal areas, such raiding gradually declined to the point where it is presently almost unheard of. While coastal raiding might at some future point again become an issue, current political conditions make the IMO-IMB focus on ships reasonable.

A ship, whether a merchant ship, a fishing vessel or a leisure boat, is exposed to various types of threats on the high seas, in coastal waters and in port areas. Different factors, among which, the isolation of the ship while sailing or berthed, the relative ease of access to her and the difficulty of setting up her own protection efficiently, combine to make the ship an easy target for attacks.

Links:

http://www.imo.org/ - The website of the International Maritime Organization: Select "Newsroom" tab; select "Hot topics"; select "Maritime Security"; select "Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships".

http://home.wanadoo.nl/m.bruyneel/archive/modern/index.htm - Convention of the Law of the Sea Articles 100-107

http://www.idsa.in/event/PiracyMaritimeTerrorandPolicyResponse_abansal_240409 - Piracy, Maritime Terror and Policy Response.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb6705/is_200904/ai_n32325064/ - Maritime Piracy in East Africa

http://www.maritimeterrorism.com/2008/04/08/countering-maritime-terrorism-in-the-caribbean-sea/ - Countering Maritime Terrorism in the Caribbean Sea

http://www.incelaw.com/whatwedo/shipping/article/shipping-e-brief-february-2010/Piracy-a-review-of-2009 - Piracy - a review of 2009

http://www.pirateslegacy.com/blog/1 - Information on maritime piracy.

2. The situation in Ivory Coast (blood-diamond-conflict)
Links:

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/world/gbagbo-ivory-coast-crisis-refugees-48721.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-11916590
http://www.mnnonline.org/article/15356


3. The ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo