REGIONAL COOPERATION AGREEMENT ON COMBATING PIRACY AND ARMED ROBBERY AGAINST SHIPS IN ASIA (ReCAAP)

ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC) officially launched in Singapore

The ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC) was officially launched in Singapore today, just three months after ReCAAP’s entry into force. The Headquarters Agreement, which establishes the ReCAAP ISC as an independent, international body, was signed today by Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Raymond Lim (representing the Government of Singapore), and Mr Yoshiaki Ito, the Executive Director of the ReCAAP ISC.

2 The launch of the ReCAAP ISC marks the first time that cooperation among regional governments against piracy and armed robbery at sea is institutionalized in a permanent body with full-time staff. The platform of the ReCAAP ISC will allow swift exchange of information between the national monitoring or enforcement agencies of the participating countries on incidents of piracy. This will enhance the region’s collective ability to respond to piracy threats or attacks, which are often transnational in nature. The ISC will also serve as a platform for capacity-building for member countries, and publish reports and analysis on piracy trends in the region.

3 Heading the ReCAAP ISC is the Executive Director, Mr Yoshiaki Ito, who was unanimously chosen by the Governing Council during its first meeting, held in Singapore from 28 - 30 November 2006. The Governing Council will oversee policies guiding the work of the ReCAAP ISC. It is composed of one representative from each Contracting Party and will meet annually.

4 The expenses of the ReCAAP ISC will be funded largely by voluntary contributions from the ReCAAP Contracting Parties. As the host of the ISC, Singapore has contributed significantly towards the operations of the ISC by funding the entire start-up costs of the Centre and committed to funding its annual operating costs.

5 ReCAAP is the first regional government-to-government agreement to deal with the piracy problem in Asia, and it now has 13 Contracting Parties. Bangladesh has also signed and ratified the agreement, and will become a Contracting Party soon, bringing the total number of Contracting Parties to 14. Singapore, together with the other Contracting Parties, looks forward to the signing and ratification of the ReCAAP Agreement by the remaining countries.

MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT

SINGAPORE

29 November 2006

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