Seychelles mobilises international community to continue focusing on maritime security in the Western Indian Ocean |09 February 2022

Mr Lalande (first left facing camera) represented Seychelles at the Plenary Session

The Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) recently held its 24th Plenary Session in Nairobi.

The session was chaired by Eugene Wamalwa, cabinet-secretary for Defence of the Republic of Kenya.

A significant milestone in the Strategic Planning Steering Group's (SPSG) work, which Seychelles chaired, was the presentation of a report with recommendations for a change in strategic direction for the CGPCS.

The chairperson of SPSG, Steve Lalande, director-general, regional affairs division of the Foreign Affairs department, represented Seychelles at the Plenary Session and underlined that “the SPSG has held seven working sessions over the past year and this has led to the

recommendations and the change of orientation for the Contact Group”.

The report was well-received and adopted by the Contact Group's Plenary Session in Kenya.

The Contact Group has been renamed Contact Group on Illicit Maritime Activities in the Indian Ocean. Its mandate will be in line with the UN General Assembly Resolution on Oceans and the Law of the Sea

(A/RES/76/72, 9 December 2021).

The change of orientation will now be presented to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) as a part of the next UNSC resolution process on peace and security in the Indian Ocean.

This will also mark the end of the CGPCS' mandate concerning Somalia in March 2022.

The hybrid meeting registered 145 delegates for both online and in-person participation from 20 states and 37 regional and international organisations.

Press release from the department of Foreign Affairs