Organized crime continues to pose threat to int’l peace, security: Kuwait
‘Illegal migration remains one of the most important global challenges’
KUWAIT: Kuwait has affirmed that transnational organized crime continues to pose a threat to international peace and security and is closely related to the phenomenon of terrorism, which requires greater coordination of efforts, especially with countries suffering from these phenomena. Kuwait’s permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi, made the remarks during a meeting of the Security Council on ‘Organized crime across the national border at sea as a threat to international peace and security.’
Otaibi said that the international community is making strenuous efforts to preserve and protect the seas, the most important of which are the conclusion of various agreements and the holding of various international and regional conferences such as the Ministerial Conference on Maritime Security in the Western Indian Ocean in Mauritius in April 2018, which issued the Mauritius Declaration on Maritime Security and an agreement on coordination of maritime operations in the western Indian Ocean. Such regional measures would build and strengthen the international legal framework to ensure the security of maritime navigation, which would have a positive impact on peace, security, cooperation and friendly relations among all nations, he added.
Otaibi said the report of the Secretary-General on Oceans and the Law of the Sea at the current session of the General Assembly indicated that 80 percent of international trade passes through the shipping corridors, which is the international trade artery and a key driver for achieving the 2030 sustainable development goals. Transnational organized crime at sea poses a serious threat, as terrorist groups such as those operating in the Gulf of Aden, the coasts of Somalia and the Gulf of Guinea engage in many illegal activities such as drug trafficking, arms smuggling, smuggling of migrants, human trafficking, piracy, armed robbery and terrorist acts against sea carriers and kidnapping.
Otaibi explained that these actions are aimed at obtaining ransom, resulting in loss of life and severe damage to international trade, energy corridors and the global economy in general, in order to achieve illegal objectives. He pointed out that illegal migration by sea is still one of the most important challenges facing the international community because of its security and humanitarian dimensions. He added that the statistics of the International Organization for Migration show that 1,514 people died during their journeys in the first seven months of 2018 while the number in 2017 is 3,140 people. —KUNA