Kuwait called Friday evening on the international community to consolidate efforts to counter acts of piracy and armed robbery of vessels , which still posed a threat to marine trade and activities and endangered the lives of seamen.
This came in the statement of the State of Kuwait to the United Nations, delivered by the mission's Third Secretary Mohammad Al-Ateeqi to the General Assembly Legal Committee of the 64th Session. The participants were discussing oceans and marine law.
Al-Ateeqi said his country abhorred all forms of piracy activities, the hijacking of commercial vessels, and terrorism in oceans and seas, especially piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off the shores of Somalia.
He called of consolidating international efforts to stand up to piracy and armed robbery of ships through active implementation of international marine laws related to this matter.
The Kuwaiti diplomat noted that UN Security Council Resolution 1846 issued in December 2008 underscored the importance of boosting international efforts to counter piracy off the coasts of Somalia by expanding the scope of state governance and regional organizations that were working with Somali officials to achieve this goal.
He also said that oceans and seas were a culture shares by all humanity and that good relations between states had to take into account the principles of justice and equality in realizing a global economic system that was based on the protection of marine environment and the sustainability of oceans.
Al-Ateeqi expressed his country's content with the increasing number of states that were joining the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which now stood at 159 states, saying that this reflected the importance of this convention at the international and regional levels.
He called on countries that had not yet joined the convention to do so, with the aim of supporting international efforts to realize the millennium goals and boost international peace and security.
Al-Ateeqi noted that Kuwait joined the convention in 1986 and signed its 11th protocol in 2002, adding that his country was also a member of the Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter.
He underscored the importance of respecting international laws and convention, especially those related to marine security and safety, and to implement these laws in a way that guaranteed the rights of each state.
The diplomat also called for encouraging a deeper understanding of elements that contributed to climate change and its impact on the marine environment and its ecological diversity, as well as finding ways to adapt to these changes.
Moreover, he called for transferring technology to developing states in order to protect the marine environment and achieve the sustainability of oceans and seas.
He concluded his speech by highlighting the need to intensify efforts for the improvement of the quality of people's lives and to protect the marine environment and its resources. - Kuna