India has joined the Djibouti Code of Conduct/ Jeddah Amendment, DCOC/JA, as Observer. The move came following the high level meeting of the Djibouti Code of Conduct/ Jeddah Amendment held virtually on 26th of August.
Djibouti Code of Conduct (DCOC)
The DCOC, established in January 2009, aims to repress of piracy and armed robbery of ships in the Western Indian Ocean Region, the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
Jeddah Amendment
A high-level meeting of signatories to the Djibouti Code of Conduct, held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (10 to 12 January 2017) has adopted a revised Code of Conduct, which will be known as the “Jeddah Amendment to the Djibouti Code of Conduct 2017”.
The participatory States agreed to work together, with support from International Maritime Organization (IMO) and other stakeholders, to build national and regional capacity to address wider maritime security issues, as a basis for sustainable development of the maritime sector.
In addition to the earlier DCOC code, the Jeddah Amendment calls on the signatory States to cooperate to the fullest possible extent to repress transnational organized crime in the maritime domain, maritime terrorism, illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing and other illegal activities at sea.
DCOC/ JA Members:
DCOC/JA is a grouping on maritime matters comprising 18 member states adjoining the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, the East Coast of Africa and Island countries in the Indian Ocean Region. India has joined Japan, Norway, the UK and the US as Observers to the DCOC/JA.
As an observer at the DCOC/JA, India is looking forward to working together with DCOC/JA member states towards coordinating and contributing to enhanced maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region.
References:
- IMO – DCOC/JA – website
- Revised Code of Conduct – Download PDF
- Featured Image Source – IMO website
