CGPCS chair changes hands |30 December 2016
The secretariat of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, (CGPCS) has announced that the current chairman, Minister Joël Morgan, has handed over the responsibilities of the chairmanship to Ambassador Barry Faure, the secretary of state at the Seychelles Foreign Affairs department.
This follows new government portfolio attributed to Minister Morgan recently, and a decision by the Seychelles government for the new chair.
Minister Morgan, in an outgoing statement to members of the CGPCS, said: “Together we have delivered on achieving the stated objectives of the CGPCS, and that is no ships or hostages being held by pirate groups. The Zero/Zero commitment, was realized following an announcement on October 22, 2016 by the Hostage Support Partnership on the release of the crew from the FV Naham 3. Appreciating that the survivors of the FV Naham 3 are now safe and sound back home with their families which I know is a fitting way to end the year. I end by extending my thanks and gratitude to all within the community of the CGPCS, wishing you my very best for the coming year and thanking each and all for the support expressed and given during my time as your chairman. It was an honor and a privilege.”
The incoming chairman, Ambassador Barry Faure, in his message said: “It is indeed an honour to assume the responsibility as chairperson of the CGPCS, picking up from the steady vision and hands of the outgoing chair, Minister Joël Morgan, who representing the Republic of Seychelles, did an absolutely fantastic job. As we prepare for the beginning of a new year, let us be so resolved that we ensure that what has been achieved by the CGPCS to date is well understood by all and that best practices adopted are considered as a way forward, especially when there is a threat of piracy anywhere in this world.”
The Seychelles assumed the chairmanship of the CGPCS following agreement by members at a meeting held at the United Nations, in New Yorkcity, in July 2015. Seychelles took over responsibilities of the CGPCS on January 1, 2016 for a period of 12 months from the European Union. At the 19th Plenary of the CGPCS which was held in the Seychelles on May 31, 2016, members present agreed that Seychelles should continue on for another year into 2017.
The CGPCS was established by a United Nations Security Resolution, 1851 (2008), and 1918 (2010).
While acts of piracy have been greatly curtailed thanks in part to operations sustained by NATO, with its Operation Ocean Shield, which ended on December 15, 2016, and European Union’s operation Atalanta, which will continue into 2018, that of the missions of the Combined Maritime Forces based in the Kingdom of Bahrain and led by the United States of America, and as well as other nations namely Russia, People’s Republic of China, India, Saudi Arabia, Japan, South Korea, the UAE, the Seychelles and other regional states, there is general consensus that the risk of acts of piracy off the coast of Somalia remains.
The secretariat for the CGPCS in the meantime continues to be based in the Seychelles, and will remain in place at the Regional Fusion & Law Enforcement Centre for Safety and Security at Sea, REFLECS3, at the Seychelles Police base at Bois de Rose Avenue, to support the work of the chairman and the contact group for the calendar year 2017.