Dakar, 16 August 2023 – The United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), the United Nations Office for Central Africa (UNOCA) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), supported the organization of a meeting whose objective was to develop action plans to evaluate the provisions and strategies of the Yaoundé Code of Conduct. This meeting, held from 14 to 16 August 2023 in Dakar, brought together a small group of representatives of structures involved in the fight against maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea, including the Interregional Coordination Centre (ICC), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS),  the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the Gulf of Guinea Commission, the Regional Maritime Security Centre for West Africa (CRESMAO) and the Regional Maritime Security Centre for Central Africa (CRESMAC) and the Co-Chair of the Group of Friends of the Gulf of Guinea represented by Côte d'Ivoire (G7 ++ FoGG).

The Yaoundé Code of Conduct for the Repression of Acts of Piracy, Armed Robbery against Ships and Illicit Maritime Activities in West and Central Africa was adopted in 2013 by the Gulf of Guinea States as well as the Maritime Safety and Security Architecture of the Gulf of Guinea, which was established by ECCAS, ECOWAS and the Gulf of Guinea Commission. After 10 years of existence, it is necessary to evaluate the provisions and strategies of the Code as well as the progress made in operationalizing the architecture so that they are better adapted to the realities and emerging threats.

After three days of discussions, participants were able to develop action plans for a review of the Yaoundé Code of Conduct and the resulting regional architecture. The results of the work will be presented at the Annual Meeting of Senior Officials (RAHAR) of the Inter-Regional Coordination Centre, to be held in September 2023 in Abuja. This would make it possible to identify new challenges, achieve optimal use of available resources and define a strategic vision for the next decade.

Partners expressed their gratitude to UNOWAS, UNOCA and UNODC for the financial and technical support of the process.