Somalia anti-piracy projects approved by United Nations Trust Fund
The United Nations Trust Fund for the Fight against Piracy approves projects in support of anti-piracy efforts in Somalia & other affected States in the region, said in the press release.
Other affected States in the region, include Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Maldives and the Seychelles.
The announcement was made in New York by United Nations Assistant-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Tayé-Brook Zerihoun, who chaired the Board of the Trust Fund to Support Initiatives of States Countering Piracy off the Coast of Somalia.
“The dramatic decline in pirate attacks is clear evidence of years of hard work by United Nations Member States, international and regional organizations, and actors in the shipping industry,” said Mr. Zerihoun.
The package of five projects approved, worth $2 million, aims to ensure that the ongoing piracy trials are conducted in a fair and efficient manner and that the human rights, health and safety of individuals suspected of piracy are protected.
The projects will also facilitate the repatriation from the Maldives to Somalia of detainees suspected of piracy, as well as supporting Kenyan prisons in meeting minimum standards for the treatment of prisoners. They will equip detainees and youth at risk in Somalia with skills employable in gainful livelihoods, deterring their involvement in piracy and contributing to the economic development of their communities.
These projects will provide biometrics-based fishermen database systems to support monitoring and surveillance of fisheries resources while providing important information to counter-piracy forces.
Support will also be provided to law enforcement authorities and prosecutors in front-line States affected by piracy to investigate illicit financial flows from piracy.
The Board of the United Nations Trust Fund for the Fight against Piracy comprises 10 voting Member States – Germany, Italy, Kenya, Republic of Korea, Norway, Qatar, Seychelles, Somalia, Turkey, and the United Kingdom – and three non-voting entities, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and the United Nations Political Office for Somalia (UNPOS).