DUBAI // UAE ministers unveiled steps the country is taking to combat Somali piracy as they hosted a high-level international conference on the issue.
The two-day event began yesterday at Madinat Jumeirah and is hosted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and DP World, the world's third-largest ports operator. Hundreds of delegates from 50 nations, including foreign ministers, senior UN officials and industry executives, are attending.
"For the UAE, this conference represents a significant part of our policies and efforts in counter-piracy response," Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the Foreign Minister, told delegates.
The Government will today donate US$1 million (Dh3.67m) to a UN counter-piracy trust fund - a significant boost to the $6.9m raised since the fund was established in January of last year.
At least $400,000 was pledged to the fund recently by private companies in the UAE. DP World has donated $100,000 to the fund.
More businesses and governments are expected to announce their offers at a fund-raising session today.
Editorial: A regional solution on the high seas
Last Updated: Apr 19, 2011
The UAE has rightly taken the lead in bringing together partners from all over the world to discuss how nations can best cooperate to diminish the threat of piracy. But while international patrols and joint maritime agreements may temporarily address the issue, the ultimate solution lies in stabilising Somalia.
The National
So far, much of the money has gone to support mechanisms to bring pirates to justice. The UN has trained prosecutors in Kenya and the Seychelles, which have agreed to prosecute pirates in their courts, and is building prisons in the Seychelles and Somalia.
Yesterday, the UAE signed the Djibouti Code of Conduct, an agreement adopted in 2009 by nations in the region to enforce UN resolutions pledging to fight piracy.
The addition of the UAE – one of the last of 21 nations eligible to join – was “long overdue”, Anwar Gargash, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, said on the sidelines of the conference.
Dr Gargash said the UAE did not seek to necessarily lead counter-piracy efforts, but wanted to do its part in a multinational response. He said the Government still needed to determine, alongside other stakeholders, how to move forward: hence the reason for the conference.
“The UAE is part of the international community, and the UAE is one part of the chain combating pirates. What we are trying to do, as many other countries are doing, is raise the profile; discuss what are the best ways to go about this in a co-operative effort,” he said. “We certainly have a clear and direct interest.”
Dr Gargash and Sheikh Abdullah stressed the need to target the root problem of poverty in Somalia. This included providing development aid and boosting Somalia’s legal systems and security forces, Dr Gargash said.
Vice Admiral Mark Fox, commander of the US Navy Fifth Fleet based in Bahrain, praised the UAE for staging the event. “They are stepping into a commendable leadership role by hosting this conference,” he said.
In his remarks to the delegates, the UAE Navy Commander Brig Ibrahim Musharakh floated the idea of sending an international force to police the Somali coast. That would constitute a new role for the several dozen navies now participating in counter-piracy operations in the region.
“This force is a suggestion or an idea that could be created in order to safeguard the coast of Somalia and prevent pirates taking out to sea,” he said.
He urged naval forces to establish a “standardised and robust code of conduct for all navies” on how to fight pirates. The code would include, for example, rules of engagement and outline standards for the treatment of prisoners.
Brig Musharakh declined to comment on how the Navy might contribute to international counter-piracy operations, which it does not currently participate in. It serves instead in a separate international task force that patrols the Gulf.
The UAE took another first step in fighting piracy at the start of the month when its special forces worked with the US Navy to rescue a government-owned vessel a day after it had been hijacked in the Arabian Sea.
It detained the 10 pirates found aboard the MV Arrilah-I and plans to prosecute them.
chuang@thenational.ae
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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'Project Power'
Stars: Jamie Foxx, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dominique Fishback
Director: Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
MWTC
Tickets start from Dh100 for adults and are now on sale at www.ticketmaster.ae and Virgin Megastores across the UAE. Three-day and travel packages are also available at 20 per cent discount.
The biog
Alwyn Stephen says much of his success is a result of taking an educated chance on business decisions.
His advice to anyone starting out in business is to have no fear as life is about taking on challenges.
“If you have the ambition and dream of something, follow that dream, be positive, determined and set goals.
"Nothing and no-one can stop you from succeeding with the right work application, and a little bit of luck along the way.”
Mr Stephen sells his luxury fragrances at selected perfumeries around the UAE, including the House of Niche Boutique in Al Seef.
He relaxes by spending time with his family at home, and enjoying his wife’s India cooking.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 3.9 seconds
Price: Dh230,000
On sale: now
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
6 UNDERGROUND
Director: Michael Bay
Stars: Ryan Reynolds, Adria Arjona, Dave Franco
2.5 / 5 stars
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
Company%20Profile
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Uefa Nations League: How it works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
SPECS
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The biog
Most memorable achievement: Leading my first city-wide charity campaign in Toronto holds a special place in my heart. It was for Amnesty International’s Stop Violence Against Women program and showed me the power of how communities can come together in the smallest ways to have such wide impact.
Favourite film: Childhood favourite would be Disney’s Jungle Book and classic favourite Gone With The Wind.
Favourite book: To Kill A Mockingbird for a timeless story on justice and courage and Harry Potters for my love of all things magical.
Favourite quote: “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” — Winston Churchill
Favourite food: Dim sum
Favourite place to travel to: Anywhere with natural beauty, wildlife and awe-inspiring sunsets.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
