The Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia , commonly abbreviated as CGPCS , is an ad-hoc formed international governance mechanism ( International Contact Group ) established in New York on January 14, 2009, to facilitate the discussion and coordination of actions among states and organizations to suppress Somali piracy .
8-447: The CGPCS was established in response to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1851 (2008), later recalled and replaced with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1918 (2010). To date, more than 60 countries and international organizations have become part of this forum, all of which are working towards the prevention of piracy off the Somali coast. The CGPCS meets in two formats
16-639: A bi-annual plenary and working groups as well as several ad-hoc sub-groups. The CGPCS does not have a standing secretariat. Chairpersonship of the plenary and the working groups is rotating. Outcome of the Plenary are so-called communiques. Until a reform process was initiated in 2014 the CGPCS had five working groups: Following the 2014 Reform process the Contact Group has three working groups. The first working group focuses on capacity building coordination and continues
24-533: The Counter-Piracy Governance Project at Cardiff University [3] . The results of the project are published on a dedicated website [4] , which also serves as the official website and repository of the CGPCS. The US Department of State recently quoted the accomplishments of the Group as : United Nations Security Council Resolution 1851 United Nations Security Council Resolution 1851
32-522: The Transitional Federal Government for international assistance to counter the surge in piracy and armed robbery there. The Council invited all such States and regional organizations to conclude special agreements or arrangements with countries willing to take custody of pirates in order to embark law enforcement officials, known as “shipriders”, from the latter countries to facilitate the investigation and prosecution of persons detained as
40-453: The unanimous adoption of United States-led resolution 1851 (2008), the Council called on those States and organizations able to do so to actively participate in defeating piracy and armed robbery off Somalia's coast by deploying naval vessels and military aircraft, and through seizure and disposition of boats and arms used in the commission of those crimes, following on a 9 December 2008 letter from
48-504: The work of the former WG1 and its sub-group (the Capacity Building Coordination Group) in this area. The second working group focuses on operations at sea and continues elements of the work of the former WG1 and WG3. The third working Group is the former WG5 and continues the work in the area of tracing the financial networks of piracy and working towards the prosecution of piracy king pins . The work of WG2 and WG4
56-587: Was discontinued. WG2 was replaced by a virtual Piracy Legal Forum [1] . In 2014 the CGPCS initiated a lessons learned project. The starting point for the project was that the CGPCS represents a unique as well as very successful type of governance mechanism and that this experience requires to be recorded. A Lessons Learned Consortium was formed comprising the NGO Oceans Beyond Piracy [2] , the European Union Institute of Security Studies , and
64-636: Was unanimously adopted on 16 December 2008. The Security Council decided that, for the next year, States and regional organizations cooperating in the fight against piracy and armed robbery at sea off Somalia's coast—for which prior notification had been provided by Somalia ’s Transitional Federal Government to the Secretary-General – could undertake all necessary measures “appropriate in Somalia”, to interdict those using Somali territory to plan, facilitate or undertake such acts. Acting under Chapter VII through
#727272