Contact Group due to attend meet to discuss piracy in Somalia

The Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) is due to hold its Sixteenth Plenary Session at the UN Headquarters in New York today, Wednesday the 14th of May, in the presence of the Chairmanship of the European Union. The scheduled meeting will focus its attention to three main areas, these being the anit-piracy operations and mitigation actions of the international community, capacity building in the region off the coast of Somalia and the disruption of piracy networks ashore.

The meeting will open with a speech from UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, Jeffrey Feltman, plus IOC Secretary General Jean-Claude de I’Estrac and Sheikh Issa, the Somali National Security Adviser. The meeting is also due to be chaired by EEAS Deputy Secretary General, Maciej Popwoski.

CGPCS was formed January of 2009 in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolution of 1851. The forum brings together stakeholders that have been affected by Somali piracy. Countries involved will vary, with these including regions from Western Europe, the Middle East and Asia, with the addition of industry, seafarers’ organisations and NGOs.

CGPCS uses and directs political, military and non-governmental efforts to confront the issue of piracy off the coast of Somalia, ensuring that justice is attained regarding pirates and offering support to develop preventive security competencies.