United Nations Security Council Resolution 1976
Encyclopedia
United Nations
Security Council Resolution
1976, adopted unanimously on April 11, 2011, after recalling previous resolutions on the situation in Somalia
, particularly resolutions 1918
(2010) and 1950
(2010), the Council decided to consider the establishment of special Somali courts to try pirates operating off the coast of the country.
The resolution was drafted by Colombia
, France
, Italy
, Russia
, Spain
and Ukraine
.
-taking condemned. It stated that the underlying causes of piracy had to be addressed, including the building of Somalia's economy
and tackling poverty
. At the same time, the Council was concerned about allegations of illegal fishing and dumping of toxic waste were used by the pirates to justify criminal activities.
All countries were invited to participate in the fight against piracy; assistance was being provided by the United Nations and international organisations to strengthen the justice system in Somalia, Kenya
and the Seychelles
to prosecute pirates, though many were released without trial.
, were asked to assist the Somali authorities in establishing governance and rule of law
over lawless areas where acts of piracy were taking place. Allegations of illegal fishing and the dumping of toxic waste
had to be investigated and reported on.
Furthermore, the Council argued that the legal capacity of Somalia and countries in the region had to be increased in order to prosecute pirates, and thus it would consider the establishment of special courts to try pirates though did not state where such courts would be located.
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"....
1976, adopted unanimously on April 11, 2011, 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...
, particularly resolutions 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) and 1950
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1950
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1950, adopted unanimously on November 23, 2010, after recalling previous resolutions on the situation in Somalia, including resolutions 1814 , 1816 , 1838 , 1844 , 1846 , 1851 , 1897 and 1918 , the Council re-authorised states to intervene in acts of...
(2010), the Council decided to consider the establishment of special Somali courts to try pirates operating off the coast of the country.
The resolution was drafted by Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, 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...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
.
Observations
In the preamble of the resolution, the Security Council expressed concern over increased pirate activity and the consequences on international shipping, with acts of hostageHostage
A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor. The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war...
-taking condemned. It stated that the underlying causes of piracy had to be addressed, including the building of Somalia's economy
Economy of Somalia
According to the CIA and the Central Bank of Somalia, despite experiencing civil unrest, Somalia has maintained a healthy informal economy, based mainly on livestock, remittance/money transfer companies and telecommunications. Due to a dearth of formal government statistics and the recent civil...
and tackling poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
. At the same time, the Council was concerned about allegations of illegal fishing and dumping of toxic waste were used by the pirates to justify criminal activities.
All countries were invited to participate in the fight against piracy; assistance was being provided by the United Nations and international organisations to strengthen the justice system in 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....
to prosecute pirates, though many were released without trial.
Acts
The resolution recognised the continuing instability in Somalia as one of the underlying causes of the piracy issue. International organisations, including the United Nations Development ProgrammeUnited Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP operates in 177 countries, working with nations on their own solutions to...
, were asked to assist the Somali authorities in establishing governance and rule of law
Rule of law
The rule of law, sometimes called supremacy of law, is a legal maxim that says that governmental decisions should be made by applying known principles or laws with minimal discretion in their application...
over lawless areas where acts of piracy were taking place. Allegations of illegal fishing and the dumping of toxic waste
Toxic waste
Toxic waste is waste material that can cause death or injury to living creatures. It spreads quite easily and can contaminate lakes and rivers. The term is often used interchangeably with “hazardous waste”, or discarded material that can pose a long-term risk to health or environment.Toxic waste...
had to be investigated and reported on.
Furthermore, the Council argued that the legal capacity of Somalia and countries in the region had to be increased in order to prosecute pirates, and thus it would consider the establishment of special courts to try pirates though did not state where such courts would be located.
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...
- United Nations Convention on the Law of the SeaUnited Nations Convention on the Law of the SeaThe 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...
- 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...