The Stable Seas Report on the Cost of Piracy off the Gulf of Guinea launched in New York

The Stable Seas Report on the Cost of Piracy off the Gulf of Guinea was launched at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The launch was jointly performed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Norway, H.E. Ms. Anniken Huitfieldt and the Minister for National Security, Hon. Albert Kan-Dapaah, who represented the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey.

The launch of the report, which was co-sponsored by Ghana, Norway, Nigeria and the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) is commendable in many respects. Ghana’s co-sponsorship of the launch of the report is part of her efforts to draw global attention to the canker of piracy and galvanize multilateral support for regional arrangements in dealing with the issue.

Ghana assumes her seat on the United Nations Security Council in January 2022 for two years, and will use her tenure to support Resolutions and Presidential Statements aimed at addressing insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea.

The areas covered in the report, including the direct and indirect costs suffered by states in the Gulf of Guinea region due to pirate attacks, are important for the economies of these countries, including Ghana.
During the launch of the report, Hon. Kan-Dapaah underscored the significant threat posed by piracy and robbery at sea to security in the Gulf of Guinea and re-iterated the point that tackling maritime piracy forms part of Ghana’s priorities to advance sustainable development through enhanced global peace and security, during her tenure on the United Nations Security Council.

Hon. Kan-Dapaah noted that piracy and robbery at sea are indeed a great threat to global security, and Ghana as well as other countries in the Gulf of Guinea region are no exception. He further added that the increase in the activities of piracy and robbery at sea in the region from 64 in 2011 to 106 in 2020 should be of concern.

In her remarks at the launch, the Norwegian Foreign Minister noted that Norwegians have always depended on the sea for food, work and development as a modern nation. She said that development within the coastal states of the Gulf of Guinea was hampered by the activities of piracy and maritime armed robbery. She emphasized the need to combat the menace in order to unleash the full potential of the economies of the states in the Gulf of Guinea region.

On the margins ofthe launch of the report, Hon. Kan-Dapaah held a bilateral meeting with H.E. Ms. Huitfeldt, to exchange ideas on areas of cooperation including ensuring maritime security, particularly during Ghana’s tenure on the Security Council. Ghana and Norway will be serving together on the Security Council for a year in 2022.

The Minister also seized the opportunity to highlight some of the other priorities that Ghana looks forward to cooperating with Norway on while on the Council, including Strengthened Partnerships with Regional Arrangements; Preventive Diplomacy; Countering Insurgencies and Violent Extremism; Effective Mandates for peace support operations; Women in Peace and Security; Youth in Peace and Security; and Climate Change Dimensions ofPeace and Security.

Source: Kessbenonline.com