Dubai meet calls for coordinated action to combat piracy at sea

The high-level counter-piracy conference in Dubai, UAE, has called for coordinated regional and multilateral action against pirates while at the same time actively pursuing ways to help Somalia and other pirate-infested states in the region to return to rule-of-law.

The international community, including industry, must expand the resource base available to projects supporting capacity building and economic developments in Somalia and other states directly suffering from piracy, a declaration issued at the close of the conference said.

Towards this, the conference recommended provision of coordinated training as well as material and financial resources to improve land-based security and livelihoods in Somalia. "The pledging of over $5 million to the Trust Fund to Support the Initiatives of States to Counter Piracy off the Coast of Somalia and to shore-based industry initiatives will evolve into a transformative moment in ensuring a fully resourced, comprehensive public-private counter-piracy approach," it said.

In order to be effective, the international community, including states and industry, must work together and actively pursue a comprehensive and fully resourced approach to combating piracy and the conditions from which it arises, it said.

Participants recognised the important role played by the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, and called upon the international community to fully endorse, support, and fund its initiatives to combat piracy in all its forms.

They also acknowledge the importance of raising awareness about the menace of piracy, through media, to support the communication strategy adopted by the Contact Group.