Report of the Conference "Addressing the Resurgence of Sea Piracy: Legal, Political and Security Aspects"

The resurgence of sea piracy has made headlines in recent months, becoming the object of intense debate, also among scholars and practitioners. Attention has concentrated particularly on piracy off the Horn of Africa (especially in the Gulf of Aden), where the phenomenon has reached critical levels. Reports speak of over a hundred attacks in 2008 alone and rising figures in 2009. Some 18 merchant ships are currently detained by Somali pirates together with a growing number of hostages. Ransoms paid in 2008 are estimated to be in the range of over a hundred million US dollars. In view of the growing concern about the phenomenon, the Institute for International Affairs (IAI) of Rome and the International Institute of Humanitarian Law (IIHL) of Sanremo organized a conference on ‘Addressing the Resurgence of Sea Piracy: Legal, Political and Security Aspects’.

Report of the conference organised by the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI) and the International Institute of Humanitarian Law (IIHL), n collaboration with Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NATO and European Commission, Rome, 16 June 2009.