Press Office
International Maritime Experts Call for Better Coordinated Counter-Piracy Messaging
LONDON,
UK ─ February 20, 2012 ─ The Oceans Beyond Piracy (OBP) Project, a
privately funded initiative based in Denver Colorado,
hosted a Somali counter-piracy messaging workshop in London on February
15-16 that was co-sponsored with the United Kingdom Foreign and
Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the United States Department of State. The
event brought together more than 50 counter-piracy
experts representing governments, international organizations, naval
forces, the shipping industry, and seafarer groups to develop more
effective Somali counter-piracy messaging strategies. The participants
emphasized the importance of identifying and de-conflicting
the myriad messaging efforts through better international coordination.
The workshop mapped current and planned counter-piracy messaging
initiatives – and over 30 distinct programs were identified.
Participants therefore called for the harmonization of strategic
messaging and to further develop effective Somali counter-piracy
messaging practices that will feed into the ongoing work of the Contact
Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) as the key
international forum to help harmonize the multitude of Somali
counter-piracy messaging efforts; and will complement the London
Conference on Somalia to be held on Thursday, which will bring together
more than 50 countries and international organizations to agree a new
action-oriented approach to the issues facing Somalia.
The group also developed recommendations for ways to enhance cooperation
and coordination through the leadership of CGPCS Working Group 4,
chaired by Ambassador Ashraf Mohsen of Egypt, who attended the
conference.
In
a public event held to discuss the results, the group emphasized the
crucial role of messaging and public diplomacy as key components
in a comprehensive approach to address the problem of Somali piracy.
According to Anna Bowden from Oceans Beyond Piracy, media messaging is
an important part of making the public understand the sizable human and
economic costs associated with piracy. “We have
documented that piracy cost industry and governments almost $7 Billion
last year – but the real story is that 99% of these costs are not
invested in a sustainable solution and must be paid every year until the
piracy threat is significantly reduced.”
James
Hughes, Chair of CGPCS Working Group 1 and Deputy Head of Security
Policy at the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, attended
the public event following the workshop and commented that, “This was an
important, well-timed event, given its proximity to the London
Conference on Somalia. Coordinated messaging is a key part of a
comprehensive international approach to countering piracy,
which in itself needs to be seen as part of a comprehensive approach to
the issues facing the people of Somalia.”
For
more information about the work shop or the Oceans Beyond Piracy
Project, contact Jens V. Madsen (+1 303.709.4776) or Anna Bowden (+1
303.709.5498).
