Security Council Resolution 2020 (2011) [on Acts of Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Vessels in the Waters Off the Coast of Somalia]

S/RES/2020(2011)View PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A Resolution of the Security Council, under agenda item 84 The situation in Somalia, published in 2011.

What other versions does this mandate have?

5 versions · 2009–2012

This is an older version — the most recent is S/RES/2077 (2012)

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2012	S/RES/2077 (2012)	Security Council resolution 2077 (2012) [on acts of piracy and armed robbery against vessels in the waters off the coast of Somalia]	—	—
2011	S/RES/2020(2011)	Security Council resolution 2020 (2011) [on acts of piracy and armed robbery against vessels in the waters off the coast of Somalia]	3,720	69%Compare
2010	S/RES/1950(2010)	Security Council resolution 1950 (2010) [on acts of piracy and armed robbery against vessels in the waters off the coast of Somalia]	2,902	16%Compare
2010	S/RES/1918(2010)	Security Council resolution 1918 (2010) [on acts of piracy and armed robbery against vessels in the waters off the coast of Somalia]	958	17%Compare
2009	S/RES/1897(2009)	Security Council resolution 1897 (2009) [on acts of piracy and armed robbery against vessels in the waters off the coast of Somalia]	2,293	–

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

5 reports · 2010–2013

Year	Symbol	Title	Mandate resolution
2013	S/2013/623	Report of the Secretary-General on the situation with respect to piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia	S/RES/2077 (2012)
2012	S/2012/783	Report of the Secretary-General pursuant to Security Council resolution 2020 (2011)	S/RES/2020(2011)
2011	S/2011/662	Report of the Secretary-General pursuant to Security Council resolution 1950 (2010)	S/RES/1950(2010)
2010	S/2010/556	Report of the Secretary-General pursuant to Security Council resolution 1897 (2009)	S/RES/1897(2009)
2010	S/2010/394	Report of the Secretary-General on possible options to further the aim of prosecuting and imprisoning persons responsible for acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, including, in particular, options for creating special domestic chambers possibly with international components, a regional tribunal or an international tribunal and corresponding imprisonment arrangements, taking into account the work of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, the existing practice in establishing international and mixed tribunals, and the time and resources necessary to achieve and sustain substantive results	S/RES/1918(2010)

What subjects does this mandate have?

14 subjects

Crime Prevention Criminal Courts Criminal Investigation Criminal Jurisdiction Funds Hostages Humanitarian Assistance International Humanitarian Law Maritime Safety Piracy Robbery Somalia Technical Cooperation Territorial Sea

What’s in this document?

31 operative paragraphs

Reiterates that it condemns and deplores all acts of piracy and armed robbery against vessels in the waters off the coast of Somalia;

Recognizes that the ongoing instability in Somalia is one of the underlying causes of the problem of piracy and contributes to the problem of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia;

Stresses the need for a comprehensive response to repress piracy and tackle its underlying causes by the international community;

Recognizes the need to investigate and prosecute not only suspects captured at sea, but also anyone who incites or intentionally facilitates piracy operations, including key figures of criminal networks involved in piracy who illicitly plan, organize, facilitate, or finance and profit from such attacks;

Calls upon States to cooperate also, as appropriate, on the issue of hostage-taking, and the prosecution of suspected pirates for taking hostages;

Notes again its concern regarding the findings contained in the 20 November 2008 report of the Monitoring Group on Somalia (S/2008/769, page 55) that escalating ransom payments and the lack of enforcement of the arms embargo established by resolution 733 (1992) are fuelling the growth of piracy off the coast of Somalia, calls upon all States to cooperate fully with the Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group including on information sharing regarding possible arms embargo violations;

Renews its call upon States and regional organizations that have the capacity to do so, to take part in the fight against piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, in particular, consistent with this resolution and international law, by deploying naval vessels, arms and military aircraft and through seizures and disposition of boats, vessels, arms and other related equipment used in the commission of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, or for which there are reasonable grounds for suspecting such use;

Commends the work of the CGPCS to facilitate coordination in order to deter acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, in cooperation with the IMO, flag States, and the TFG and urges States and international organizations to continue to support these efforts;

Encourages Member States to continue to cooperate with the TFG in the fight against piracy and armed robbery at sea, notes the primary role of the TFG in the fight against piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, and decides that for a further period of twelve months from the date of this resolution to renew the authorizations as set out in paragraph 10 of resolution 1846 (2008) and paragraph 6 of resolution 1851 (2008), as renewed by paragraph 7 of resolution 1897 (2009), and paragraph 7 of resolution 1950 (2010), granted to States and regional organizations cooperating with the TFG in the fight against piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, for which advance notification has been provided by the TFG to the Secretary-General;

Affirms that the authorizations renewed in this resolution apply only with respect to the situation in Somalia and shall not affect the rights or obligations or responsibilities of Member States under international law, including any rights or obligations, under the Convention, with respect to any other situation, and underscores in particular that this resolution shall not be considered as establishing customary international law; and affirms further that such authorizations have been renewed only following the receipt of the 10 November 2011 letter conveying the consent of the TFG;

Further affirms that the measures imposed by paragraph 5 of resolution 733 (1992) and further elaborated upon by paragraphs 1 and 2 of resolution 1425 (2002) do not apply to weapons and military equipment destined for the sole use of Member States and regional organizations undertaking measures in accordance with paragraph 9 above or to supplies of technical assistance to Somalia solely for the purposes set out in paragraph 6 of resolution 1950 (2010) which have been exempted from those measures in accordance with the procedure set out in paragraphs 11 (b) and 12 of resolution 1772 (2007);

Requests that cooperating States take appropriate steps to ensure that the activities they undertake pursuant to the authorizations in paragraph 9 do not have the practical effect of denying or impairing the right of innocent passage to the ships of any third State;

Calls on Member States to assist Somalia, at the request of the TFG and with notification to the Secretary-General, to strengthen capacity in Somalia, including regional authorities, to bring to justice those who are using Somali territory to plan, facilitate, or undertake criminal acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea, and stresses that any measures undertaken pursuant to this paragraph shall be consistent with applicable international human rights law;

Calls upon all States, and in particular flag, port, and coastal States, States of the nationality of victims, and perpetrators of piracy and armed robbery, and other States with relevant jurisdiction under international law and national legislation, to cooperate in determining jurisdiction, and in the investigation and prosecution of all persons responsible for acts of piracy and armed robbery off the coast of Somalia, including anyone who incites or facilitates an act of piracy, consistent with applicable international law including international human rights law to ensure that all pirates handed over to judicial authorities are subject to a judicial process, and to render assistance by, among other actions, providing disposition and logistics assistance with respect to persons under their jurisdiction and control, such as victims and witnesses and persons detained as a result of operations conducted under this resolution;

Calls upon all States to criminalize piracy under their domestic law and to favourably consider the prosecution of suspected, and imprisonment of convicted, pirates apprehended off the coast of Somalia, and their facilitators and financiers ashore, consistent with applicable international law including international human rights law;

Reiterates its decision to continue its consideration, as a matter of urgency, of the establishment of specialized anti-piracy courts in Somalia and other States in the region with substantial international participation and/or support, as set forth in resolution 2015 (2011), and the importance of such courts having jurisdiction over not only suspects captured at sea, but also anyone who incites or intentionally facilitates piracy operations, including key figures of criminal networks involved in piracy who illicitly plan, organize, facilitate, or finance and profit from such attacks, and emphasizes the need for strengthened cooperation of States, regional, and international organizations in holding such individuals accountable, and encourages the CGPCS to continue its discussions in this regard;

Urges all States to take appropriate actions under their existing domestic law to prevent the illicit financing of acts of piracy and the laundering of its proceeds;

Urges States, in cooperation with INTERPOL and Europol, to further investigate international criminal networks involved in piracy off the coast of Somalia, including those responsible for illicit financing and facilitation;

Commends INTERPOL for the creation of a global piracy database designed to consolidate information about piracy off the coast of Somalia and facilitate the development of actionable analysis for law enforcement, and urges all States to share such information with INTERPOL for use in the database, through appropriate channels;

Stresses in this context the need to support the investigation and prosecution of those who illicitly finance, plan, organize, or unlawfully profit from pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia;

Urges Sates and international organizations to share evidence and information for anti-piracy law enforcement purposes with a view to ensuring effective prosecution of suspected, and imprisonment of convicted, pirates;

Commends the establishment of the Trust Fund Supporting the Initiatives of States Countering Piracy off the Coast of Somalia and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Djibouti Code Trust Fund and urges both state and non-state actors affected by piracy, most notably the international shipping community, to contribute to them;

Urges States parties to the Convention and the SUA Convention to implement fully their relevant obligations under these Conventions and customary international law and cooperate with the UNODC, IMO, and other States and other international organizations to build judicial capacity for the successful prosecution of persons suspected of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the Coast of Somalia;

Urges States individually or within the framework of competent international organizations to positively consider investigating allegations of illegal fishing and illegal dumping, including of toxic substances, with a view to prosecuting such offences when committed by persons under their jurisdiction; and takes note of the Secretary-General’s intention to include updates on these issues in his future reports relating to piracy off the Coast of Somalia;

Welcomes the recommendations and guidance of the IMO on preventing and suppressing piracy and armed robbery against ships, underlines the importance of implementing such recommendations and guidance by all stakeholders, including the shipping industry, and urges States, in collaboration with the shipping and insurance industries, and the IMO, to continue to develop and implement avoidance, evasion, and defensive best practices and advisories to take when under attack or when sailing in the waters off the coast of Somalia, and further urges States to make their citizens and vessels available for forensic investigation as appropriate at the first port of call immediately following an act or attempted act of piracy or armed robbery at sea or release from captivity;

Invites the IMO to continue its contributions to the prevention and suppression of acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships in coordination, in particular, with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the World Food Programme (WFP), the shipping industry, and all other parties concerned, and recognizes the IMO’s role concerning privately contracted armed security personnel on board ships in high-risk areas;

Notes the importance of securing the safe delivery of World Food Programme (WFP) assistance by sea, welcomes the ongoing work by WFP, EU operation Atalanta and Flag States with regard to Vessel Protection Detachments on WFP vessels;

Requests States and regional organizations cooperating with the TFG to inform the Security Council and the Secretary-General in 9 months of the progress of actions undertaken in the exercise of the authorizations provided in paragraph 9 above and further requests all States contributing through the CGPCS to the fight against piracy off the coast of Somalia, including Somalia and other States in the region, to report by the same deadline on their efforts to establish jurisdiction and cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of piracy;

Requests the Secretary-General to report to the Security Council within 11 months of the adoption of this resolution on the implementation of this resolution and on the situation with respect to piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia;

Expresses its intention to review the situation and consider, as appropriate, renewing the authorizations provided in paragraph 9 above for additional periods upon the request of the TFG;

Decides to remain seized of the matter.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What other versions does this mandate have?

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

Table of contents