(Dubai) – H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Foreign Minister, affirmed that combined international efforts have made remarkable progress, reducing the number of piracy attacks over the last two years to zero.
In his welcome note to the UAE’s fourth annual Counter-Piracy Conference, co-organised by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and DP World in Dubai, Sheikh Abdullah commend the government of Somalia on its progress in bringing peace and prosperity to the people of Somalia and in reestablishing justice and the rule of law in places where it has been absent for too long.
The UAE, he emphasised, would continue to support Somalia in meeting these challenges.
“We must continue to build the capacity of countries on the front lines of counter-piracy in the areas of information sharing, law enforcement and governance so that they can confront the challenges themselves. And it is essential that we take steps to address the root causes of piracy. This means not only improving governance to dismantle pirate networks in lawless areas, but also promoting economic opportunity and providing alternative livelihoods to those drawn in by the pirate economy,” he said.
The two-day conference assembles 600 participants including senior government officials, shipping industry leaders and academics from around the world to tackle root causes of piracy and other maritime crimes both on sea and land.
The U.A.E. is convening the Fourth International Counter-piracy Conference in Dubai on 29th-30th October under the theme, “Securing State Recovery: Sustaining Momentum at Sea, Confronting Instability on Land.” A joint initiative by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and international ports operator DP World, the conference is being held as part of the wider 2014 UAE Counter-piracy Week, running 27th-30th October.
(Courtesy WAM)
