Mauritius is hosting the Third Ministerial Conference on Maritime Safety and Security in the Western Indian Ocean on Thursday, November 16, 2023 at the Intercontinental Hotel in Balaclava.
Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth will officially launch the Ministerial Conference, underlining the country’s commitment to fostering cooperation and collaboration in the vital field of maritime safety and security.
The Indian Ocean is a major shipping lane and of considerable importance to world trade.
Senior officials and representatives of participating countries met in preparation for the ministerial meeting.
Mauritius has hosted the Ministerial Conference on Shipping and Security in the Western Indian Ocean in 2018 and 2019.
The Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Mr Joykar Nayeck, addressed delegates this morning in Balaclava, marking the official start of deliberations for the two-day meeting of senior officials.
“Since our last meeting in 2019, significant progress has been made in ocean governance, namely the adoption of the BBJN (Biological Diversity In Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction) Treaty. However, we still face many challenges such as illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, drug trafficking, arms and human trafficking, among others,” he observed.
The Third Ministerial Conference on Maritime Safety and Security in the Western Indian Ocean promises to be an important milestone in the ongoing efforts to create a safer and more secure maritime environment.
The Ministerial Conference will bring together representatives of governments and regional and international institutions, accompanied by their respective senior officials in charge of maritime safety.
The Ministerial Conference will address the challenge of drug trafficking and other forms of transnational organized crime, including human trafficking, illicit trade in arms and wildlife; IUU fishing; maritime accidents, including ship collisions and groundings leading to oil spills and other environmental disasters; marine pollution, including plastic pollution; search and rescue operations at sea and disaster response; port security and navigation safety; and piracy at sea.
The Ministerial Conference aims to mobilize, sustain and strengthen regional and international efforts to enhance ownership of effective solutions, building on the following political actions and mechanisms:
– Implementation of the outcomes of the last Ministerial Conferences in 2018 and 2019.
– Regional prevention and preparedness against marine pollution
– UN Security Council Resolution 2608 and Contact Group on Illegal Maritime Activities
– Regional cooperation to combat drugs and substance abuse
– Regional policy/framework for port and shipping safety
– Creation of an African Coast Guard Forum
– Regional plan to combat illegal wildlife trafficking
Senior officials met to deliberate and make recommendations to ministers on the vital issues of maritime safety, security and ocean governance.
