Mauritius is hosting the third Ministerial Conference on Maritime Safety and Security in the Western Indian Ocean on Thursday at the Intercontinental Hotel in Balaclava.
The Prime Minister of Mauritius, Pravind Jugnauth, will preside over the official launch of the Ministerial Conference, underscoring the country’s commitment to fostering cooperation and collaboration in the vital domain of maritime security and safety.
Noteworthy, since 2018, the Government of the Republic of Mauritius has made maritime security issues one of the main thrusts of its regional policy.
Indeed, Mauritius hosted two ministerial conferences on the subject in April 2018 and June 2019 with more than 30 delegations from States and international organisations taking part.
Further, on 16th November, the Mauritian government will host a third edition.
The aim is to confirm and amplify commitments to combat risks and crimes at sea.
The Indian Ocean Commission, which has set up and supports the operationalisation of a regional maritime safety architecture, will be taking part.
The ministerial conference has been preceded on 13 and 14 November by two preparatory technical meetings.
On the agenda: combating drug trafficking, preparing for and preventing the risk of pollution at sea, combating illegal wildlife trafficking, and consolidating and making fully operational the regional maritime security architecture.
The IOC will provide technical support to the Mauritian authorities.
Notably, the IOC has established itself as a leading regional player on these issues.
Further, it is implementing the regional maritime safety programme, MASE, which has enabled the regional architecture to be put in place and the Regional Maritime Information Fusion Centre and the Regional Operations Coordination Centre to be set up.
The IOC is also coordinating the implementation of the Port Security and Safety of Navigation Programme (PSP). Both programmes are funded by the European Union.
Source: https://www.commissionoceanindien.org/en/ministerielle-maritime-security-mauritius/
