The United Nations called on Thursday for stronger action to halt the spread of piracy, particularly in Africa, by tackling its deep-rooted causes.
The UN Under-Secretary-General for Africa in the Department of Political Affairs and Peacebuilding and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations stressed that “international cooperation is making waves in the fight against piracy in West Africa, but it is necessary to tackle its root causes and ensure sustainable funding to eliminate the threat, which is spreading to other regions”.
At a meeting of the Security Council, she noted that despite the progress made in the fight against criminal shipping groups, incidents of piracy continue to threaten the safety of maritime traffic in the region.
Since her last briefing on maritime security in November, she said that the steady decline in piracy incidents in the Gulf of Guinea was largely due to the interventions of national authorities and regional and international partners.
The UN official noted that these efforts, including the formation of joint naval task forces, have strengthened cooperation and information sharing while forging a centralized process for maritime security that fills gaps in a national and regional capacity.
“However, gaps remain”, the official warned, calling for increased support to fill them. These include challenges such as the lack of appropriate equipment and sustainable funding to ensure the full operationalization of the Code of Conduct.