Statement by H.E. Ambassador ISHIKANE Kimihiro, Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations, at the United Nations Security Council Briefing, Agenda item “Peace and Security in Africa: Maritime Security in the Gulf of Guinea”
2023/6/21
(As delivered)
I thank ASG Pobee, His Excellency Ambassador Verissimo, His Excellency Dr. Touray, and Executive Secretary Abeso for their insightful briefings.
It is 10 years this month since the signing of the Yaoundé Code of Conduct, and just over a year since this Council adopted resolution 2634. Japan appreciates the initiative by the Presidency along with Ghana to convene this timely meeting. As a maritime nation, Japan places great importance on promoting “Free, Open and Stable Seas” upheld by a maritime order based on the rule of law.
Madam President,
We are pleased to see that acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea have continued to decline in the Gulf of Guinea, down to just a handful of incidents in the first quarter of this year. This success owes to strengthened national efforts and to increased regional cooperation, naval patrols and piracy convictions. Now, this progress must be sustained.
Today Japan wishes to highlight the importance of continued national ownership and partnerships, and the need to respond not just to the maritime insecurity but also its root causes.
The coastal states should maintain ownership in their efforts to criminalize acts of piracy and other forms of maritime crime in their respective national laws, to establish prosecution procedures, and to improve enforcement capabilities. All efforts to tackle piracy and armed robbery must comply with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which is the legal framework within which all activities in the ocean and seas are carried out.
Continued partnerships are also key. Regional and subregional organizations, including the AU, ECOWAS, ECCAS, and the Gulf of Guinea Commission, have provided support, as have INTERPOL and UNODC through their initiatives such as piracy database and the Global Maritime Crime Programme. Further assistance and cooperation among these and other stakeholders, including IFIs, the private maritime sector, and the whole UN system, will help the region strengthen and fully operationalize the Yaoundé architecture. Japan, for its part, has been providing regional countries with maritime law enforcement related equipment, counter-piracy capacity-building, and maritime economy training programmes, including through support for peacekeeping training centres in Ghana and Nigeria. Japan will continue to be the region’s reliable partner.
As noted in the Secretary-General’s report last year, the successes of law enforcement and naval patrols may have driven criminal groups to invest in other forms of maritime criminality. In the long term, the maritime crime can be effectively addressed only by tackling its root causes, including poverty, unemployment, especially for young people, and lack of access to basic public services. The adverse effects of climate change are also exacerbating the insecurity, and in this regard, it is important to assist efforts for economic development that would benefit the vulnerable, notably through human resource development. Furthermore, democratic and responsive governance that reflects the voices of various stakeholders, including women and youth, together with resilient and accountable institutions based on the rule of law, will be key.
Madam President,
To conclude, let me reiterate Japan’s commitment, as a member of the G7++ Friends of the Gulf of Guinea, to continue to cooperate with our colleagues, the coastal states, and other stakeholders to further improve and strengthen maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.
I thank you.
It is 10 years this month since the signing of the Yaoundé Code of Conduct, and just over a year since this Council adopted resolution 2634. Japan appreciates the initiative by the Presidency along with Ghana to convene this timely meeting. As a maritime nation, Japan places great importance on promoting “Free, Open and Stable Seas” upheld by a maritime order based on the rule of law.
Madam President,
We are pleased to see that acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea have continued to decline in the Gulf of Guinea, down to just a handful of incidents in the first quarter of this year. This success owes to strengthened national efforts and to increased regional cooperation, naval patrols and piracy convictions. Now, this progress must be sustained.
Today Japan wishes to highlight the importance of continued national ownership and partnerships, and the need to respond not just to the maritime insecurity but also its root causes.
The coastal states should maintain ownership in their efforts to criminalize acts of piracy and other forms of maritime crime in their respective national laws, to establish prosecution procedures, and to improve enforcement capabilities. All efforts to tackle piracy and armed robbery must comply with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which is the legal framework within which all activities in the ocean and seas are carried out.
Continued partnerships are also key. Regional and subregional organizations, including the AU, ECOWAS, ECCAS, and the Gulf of Guinea Commission, have provided support, as have INTERPOL and UNODC through their initiatives such as piracy database and the Global Maritime Crime Programme. Further assistance and cooperation among these and other stakeholders, including IFIs, the private maritime sector, and the whole UN system, will help the region strengthen and fully operationalize the Yaoundé architecture. Japan, for its part, has been providing regional countries with maritime law enforcement related equipment, counter-piracy capacity-building, and maritime economy training programmes, including through support for peacekeeping training centres in Ghana and Nigeria. Japan will continue to be the region’s reliable partner.
As noted in the Secretary-General’s report last year, the successes of law enforcement and naval patrols may have driven criminal groups to invest in other forms of maritime criminality. In the long term, the maritime crime can be effectively addressed only by tackling its root causes, including poverty, unemployment, especially for young people, and lack of access to basic public services. The adverse effects of climate change are also exacerbating the insecurity, and in this regard, it is important to assist efforts for economic development that would benefit the vulnerable, notably through human resource development. Furthermore, democratic and responsive governance that reflects the voices of various stakeholders, including women and youth, together with resilient and accountable institutions based on the rule of law, will be key.
Madam President,
To conclude, let me reiterate Japan’s commitment, as a member of the G7++ Friends of the Gulf of Guinea, to continue to cooperate with our colleagues, the coastal states, and other stakeholders to further improve and strengthen maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea.
I thank you.