Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Sunday, April 3rd 2011 [ME NewsWire]
A UAE-driven initiative to combat marine piracy has attracted widespread interest and enthusiasm from governments, industry and experts on maritime issues and international law.
Several foreign ministers from around the world, CEOs from the world’s top shipping lines and a wide range of experts will participate in the event jointly organised by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and global port operator DP World in Dubai on April 18-19.
A website for the conference - www.Counterpiracy.ae- has been launched to enable invited participants to register. The website also hosts a number of papers designed to stimulate discussion and generate policy ideas, which will be published alongside the event. The papers reflect cutting-edge academic and expert thought on global counter-piracy.
In 2011, piracy in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean threatens to become even more threatening than previous years, with a greater frequency of attacks over a wider range than in previous years.
The UAE initiative has therefore attracted significant global attention, at a time when all stakeholders recognise the need for a coordinated and sustained effort by governments, security forces and industry to address the issue in its entirety. The UAE’s position as a global hub for trade and commerce together with its significant regional and international partnerships are expected to make the event a key platform for the coordination of the urgent international response to end the threat piracy presents to global peace and security.
Parallel to the main conference, the UAE and the United Nations will hold a fundraising event in support of the Trust Fund to Support Initiatives of States Countering Piracy off the Coast of Somalia. The aim of the fundraiser is to attract new and traditional donors to the Fund, which was established in January 2010 by the UN Secretary-General at the request of the international Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia. The Trust Fund has proved to be an efficient instrument for supporting counter piracy initiatives and a unique multilateral vehicle to fund land-based counter piracy projects.
This fundraiser is an opportunity for participants to translate regional and global concern into action. The co-hosts hope to forge new partnerships between governments and industry, between “North” and “South”, and between the regions and countries affected by piracy off the coast of Somalia resulting in substantial contributions to the UN Trust Fund from Government and industry participants in the conference.
An official source at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs has indicated that the UAE will make a significant contribution to the UN Trust Fund at the conference. The contribution will reflect the importance the UAE attaches to this issue, underlining its ongoing commitment to the international efforts in the field of counter-piracy.
In the first two months of 2011, despite a heightened level of international response, at least 80 commercial cargo ships came under attack in the Gulf of Aden alone – with 19 vessels hijacked. Some 40 ships are currently estimated to be under pirate control, together with 800 mariners held captive, many in appalling conditions. In addition to the devastating human cost of piracy, the financial cost to global trade is also huge, with estimates as high as US$12 billion a year.
Contacts
UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Khaled Al Dhaheri
Government Communications & Media Department
Tel: 02-2222000
k_saeed@mofa.gov.ae
www.mofa.gov.ae
Natasha Bukhari
Global Corporate Communications Manager
DP World
Tel: +97156 6821699
Natasha.Bukhari@dpworld.com
Sanaa Maadad
Director, Media
Hasaad Communications
Tel: +97150 5522610
sana@hasaad.ae
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