Mombasa, 8-10 April 2014 – IGAD Security Sector Program (ISSP) held a three-days regional workshop on the Promotion of Regional and International Regimes/Instruments on Maritime Security and Safety. The meeting was chaired by Mr. Daoud A. Alwan, the Head of Maritime Security Pillar at ISSP.
The main focus of the workshop was on international, regional and national legal instruments that address issues of security and safety in maritime domain as outlined in various international, regional maritime and marine conventions.
Participants were drawn from the IGAD Member States’ institutions; namely, the Maritime Authority, Attorney General Chambers, Ministry of Interior, Defense Forces, Parliament, the National Assembly, Maritime Security, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Intelligence and Security, the Navy, and Office of the President. The workshop was honored by the presence of Mr. Malik Abd Allah Hussin, the Chairperson of Security and National Defense of the National Assembly of the Republic of the Sudan. Experts who had background on International Law and Piracy Prosecution Cases made presentations on the various national, regional and international legal instruments in maritime security and safety as well as shared their experiences with the participants to enrich the overall objective of the workshop.
Very active and fruitful discussions were held on the various instruments at all levels critically examining the pros and cons as well as the implications of these legal instruments nationally and regionally. In-depth discussions at the workshop were held on the following thematic areas:
• overview of the status of maritime security and safety in the IGAD region,
• a critical assessment of the International legal instruments as related to maritime security and safety,
• the identification and analysis of the existing regional legal regimes on maritime security and safety,
• country specific presentations on levels of ratification, domestication and implementation of various regional and international legal instruments pertaining to maritime security and safety,
• Law enforcement in maritime security and safety in the IGAD Region: Case Study on countering transnational security threats
• Practicability and Challenges in Implementing IMO/ISPS Code
• Identifying gaps and challenges at national and regional levels in the ratification, domestication and implementation of various regional and international legal instruments pertaining to maritime security and safety;
• the way forward on promoting, developing and integrating regional legal regimes in maritime security and safety.
Participants gained knowledge and exchanged ideas on the issues of Maritime Security and Safety related instruments. In addition, they were able to create a network and paved the way for future coordination regionally.
The workshop was adjourned with a closing remark from Mr. Malik, and the Chairperson, Mr. Alwan who expressed his thanks to the participants, the experts, the staff and the Government of Kenya.
