In A First, PM Modi To Chair Open Debate In UNSC Meet On Maritime Security Today

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair the high-level open debate on ‘Enhancing Maritime Security – A Case for International Cooperation’ – via video conferencing at 5: 30 p.m. on Monday. Prime Minister Modi would be the first Indian Prime Minister to preside over a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) open debate.

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The meeting is expected to be attended by several heads of state and government of member states of the United Nations Security Council and high-level briefers from the UN System and key Regional Organizations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will also participate in the UNSC meeting on maritime security.

The open debate will focus on ways to effectively counter maritime crime and insecurity and strengthening coordination in the maritime domain.

The UN Security Council has discussed and passed resolutions on different aspects of maritime security and maritime crime. However, this will be the first time that maritime security will be discussed in a holistic manner as an exclusive agenda item in such a high-level open debate.

“Given that no country alone can address the diverse aspects of maritime security, it is important to consider this subject in a holistic manner in the United Nations Security Council,” said a release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

“A comprehensive approach to Maritime Security should protect and support legitimate maritime activities while countering traditional and non-traditional threats in the maritime domain,” the release added.

Prime Minister Modi put forward the vision of SAGAR – an acronym for ‘Security and Growth for all in the Region’ in 2015. 

This vision focuses on cooperative measures for sustainable use of the oceans and provides a framework for a safe, secure, and stable maritime domain in the region. 

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In 2019, at the East Asia Summit, this initiative was further elaborated through the Indo-Pacific Oceans’ Initiative (IPOI) with a focus on seven pillars of maritime security including maritime ecology; maritime resources; capacity building and resource sharing; disaster risk reduction, and management; science, technology and academic cooperation; and trade connectivity and maritime transport.