United Nations Security Council Resolution 1950
Encyclopedia
United Nations
Security Council Resolution
1950, adopted unanimously on November 23, 2010, after recalling previous resolutions on the situation in Somalia
, including resolutions 1814
(2008), 1816
(2008), 1838
(2008), 1844
(2008), 1846
(2008), 1851
(2008), 1897
(2009) and 1918
(2010), the Council re-authorised states to intervene in acts of piracy
by Somali pirates
at sea for a further period of twelve months.
The Transitional Federal Government
in Somalia had made several requests for assistance to counter piracy off its coast.
to the western Indian Ocean
and children were involved. The Council recognised the instability in Somalia itself had contributed to the piracy issue and there was a need to address its underlying causes, particularly as the TFG had a limited capacity to deal with the problem. It noted that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
had established procedures for dealing with piracy and armed robbery at sea.
The resolution welcomed efforts by the European Union
's Operation Atalanta
, NATO, and states including China
, India
, Iran
, Japan
, Malaysia, South Korea
, Russia
, Saudi Arabia
and Yemen
which had all deployed ships and/or aircraft to the region. Meanwhile, there was concern that limited capacity to facilitate the detention and prosecution of pirates had hindered international efforts against pirates off the coast of Somalia. Kenya
and the Seychelles
were praised for prosecuting pirates and there was a need to support these states, along with others in the region including Yemen to prosecute pirates or incarcerate them in a third state. The Council also addressed those who had been a victim of piracy and commended the International Maritime Organization
on developing guidelines in this regard.
, the Council reiterated its condemnation of all acts of piracy and armed robbery against vessels off the coast of Somalia. It was concerned at a report of a group monitoring the situation in Somalia that indicated that there was a lack of enforcement of the arms embargo
imposed by 733
(1992) and increased ransom
payments were fueling the growth in piracy off the coast of Somalia; states were encouraged to share information to prevent violations of the embargo.
The resolution appealed to all states to participate in the fight against piracy with the co-operation of the TFG off the Somali coast while acknowledging the country's rights to offshore resources. Co-operating states were asked not to deny or impair the right of passing ships, and that the arms embargo on Somalia did not apply to weapons and materiel
destined for use by international forces. Member states were further urged to improve the capacity of authorities in Somalia to prosecute those planning and undertaking attacks, determine jurisdiction
and criminalise piracy under their domestic laws.
The Security Council also directed Interpol
and Europol
to investigate criminal networks involved in piracy off the coast of Somalia, while the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
was instructed to report within 11 months concerning the implementation of the current resolution.
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Security Council Resolution
United Nations Security Council Resolution
A United Nations Security Council resolution is a UN resolution adopted by the fifteen members of the Security Council; the UN body charged with "primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security"....
1950, adopted unanimously on November 23, 2010, after recalling previous resolutions on the situation in Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
, including resolutions 1814
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1814
- Resolution :The Security Council this afternoon expressed its strong support for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s integrated strategy for building the foundations of peace and durable stability in Somalia, including plans for greater international presence on the ground in the troubled east...
(2008), 1816
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1816
- Resolution :Condemning all acts of piracy and armed robbery against vessels off the coast of Somalia, the Security Council this afternoon authorized a series of decisive measures to combat those crimes....
(2008), 1838
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1838
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1838 is a United Nations Security Council resolution that calls on nations with vessels in the Somali piracy region to apply military force as a means of repressing acts of piracy. Adopted unanimously on October 7, 2008, it recommends that states commit...
(2008), 1844
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1844
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1844 was unanimously adopted on 20 November 2008.- Resolution :The Security Council today strengthened the arms embargo on the violence-plagued nation of Somalia by specifying sanctions on violators and expanding the mandate of the Committee that oversees...
(2008), 1846
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1846
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1846 was unanimously adopted on 2 December 2008.- Resolution :The Security Council today strengthened international efforts to fight piracy off the coast of Somalia by expanding the mandate of States and regional organizations working with Somali officials...
(2008), 1851
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1851
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1844 was unanimously adopted on 20 November 2008.- Resolution :The Security Council today decided that, for the next year, States and regional organizations cooperating in the fight against piracy and armed robbery at sea off Somalia’s coast -- for which...
(2008), 1897
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1897
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1897 was unanimously adopted on 30 November 2009.- Resolution :The Security Council today decided to renew, for a period of 12 months, its previous authorizations for States and regional organizations cooperating with the Somali Transitional Federal...
(2009) and 1918
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1918
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1918, adopted unanimously on April 27, 2010, after recalling resolutions 1814 , 1816 , 1838 , 1844 , 1846 , 1851 and 1897 on Somalia, the Council called on countries to criminalise piracy within their national laws.The Security Council remained concerned...
(2010), the Council re-authorised states to intervene in acts of piracy
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
by Somali pirates
Piracy in Somalia
Piracy off the coast of Somalia has been a threat to international shipping since the second phase of the Somali Civil War in the early 21st century...
at sea for a further period of twelve months.
The Transitional Federal Government
Transitional Federal Government
The Transitional Federal Government is the current internationally recognized government of the Republic of Somalia. It was established as one of the Transitional Federal Institutions of government as defined in the Transitional Federal Charter adopted in November 2004 by the Transitional...
in Somalia had made several requests for assistance to counter piracy off its coast.
Observations
In the preamble of the resolution, there was concern from the Council at the ongoing threat of piracy and armed robbery at sea against humanitarian vessels delivering aid to Somalia, international navigation and fishing ships. Furthermore, it noted that this threat had extended beyond Somali territorial watersTerritorial waters
Territorial waters, or a territorial sea, as defined by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, is a belt of coastal waters extending at most from the baseline of a coastal state...
to the western Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
and children were involved. The Council recognised the instability in Somalia itself had contributed to the piracy issue and there was a need to address its underlying causes, particularly as the TFG had a limited capacity to deal with the problem. It noted that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea , also called the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea treaty, is the international agreement that resulted from the third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea , which took place from 1973 through 1982...
had established procedures for dealing with piracy and armed robbery at sea.
The resolution welcomed efforts by the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
's Operation Atalanta
Operation Atalanta
Operation Atalanta is a current military operation undertaken by the European Union and the European Union Naval Force. It is part of a larger global action by the EU in the Horn of Africa to deal with the Somali crisis; for example World Food Programme ships food aid to ports in Somalia and...
, NATO, and states including China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Malaysia, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
and Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
which had all deployed ships and/or aircraft to the region. Meanwhile, there was concern that limited capacity to facilitate the detention and prosecution of pirates had hindered international efforts against pirates off the coast of Somalia. Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
and the Seychelles
Seychelles
Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....
were praised for prosecuting pirates and there was a need to support these states, along with others in the region including Yemen to prosecute pirates or incarcerate them in a third state. The Council also addressed those who had been a victim of piracy and commended the International Maritime Organization
International Maritime Organization
The International Maritime Organization , formerly known as the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization , was established in Geneva in 1948, and came into force ten years later, meeting for the first time in 1959...
on developing guidelines in this regard.
Acts
Acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations CharterChapter VII of the United Nations Charter
Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter sets out the UN Security Council's powers to maintain peace. It allows the Council to "determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression" and to take military and nonmilitary action to "restore international peace...
, the Council reiterated its condemnation of all acts of piracy and armed robbery against vessels off the coast of Somalia. It was concerned at a report of a group monitoring the situation in Somalia that indicated that there was a lack of enforcement of the arms embargo
Arms embargo
An arms embargo is an embargo that applies to weaponry. It may also include "dual use" items. An arms embargo may serve one or more purposes:# to signal disapproval of behavior by a certain actor,# to maintain neutral standing in an ongoing conflict, or...
imposed by 733
United Nations Security Council Resolution 733
United Nations Security Council Resolution 733, adopted unanimously on January 23, 1992, after expressing its alarm at the situation in Somalia regarding the heavy loss of life, destruction to property and threat to regional stability, the Council, acting under Chapter VII of the United Nations...
(1992) and increased ransom
Ransom
Ransom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or it can refer to the sum of money involved.In an early German law, a similar concept was called bad influence...
payments were fueling the growth in piracy off the coast of Somalia; states were encouraged to share information to prevent violations of the embargo.
The resolution appealed to all states to participate in the fight against piracy with the co-operation of the TFG off the Somali coast while acknowledging the country's rights to offshore resources. Co-operating states were asked not to deny or impair the right of passing ships, and that the arms embargo on Somalia did not apply to weapons and materiel
Materiel
Materiel is a term used in English to refer to the equipment and supplies in military and commercial supply chain management....
destined for use by international forces. Member states were further urged to improve the capacity of authorities in Somalia to prosecute those planning and undertaking attacks, determine jurisdiction
Jurisdiction
Jurisdiction is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area of responsibility...
and criminalise piracy under their domestic laws.
The Security Council also directed Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
and Europol
Europol
Europol is the European Union's criminal intelligence agency. It became fully operational on 1 July 1999....
to investigate criminal networks involved in piracy off the coast of Somalia, while the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...
was instructed to report within 11 months concerning the implementation of the current resolution.
See also
- List of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1901 to 2000 (2009 – 2011)
- Piracy in SomaliaPiracy in SomaliaPiracy off the coast of Somalia has been a threat to international shipping since the second phase of the Somali Civil War in the early 21st century...
- Somali Civil WarSomali Civil WarThe Somali Civil War is an ongoing civil war taking place in Somalia. The conflict, which began in 1991, has caused destabilisation throughout the country, with the current phase of the conflict seeing the Somali government losing substantial control of the state to rebel forces...
- War in Somalia (2009–)War in Somalia (2009–)The 2009–present phase of the Somali Civil War is concentrated in southern Somalia. It began in early February 2009, with the conflict between, on the one hand, the forces of the Somali Transitional Federal Government assisted by African Union peacekeeping troops, and on the other, various militant...