The Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) succeeds the Republic of Seychelles as the Chair of the CGPCS. Ambassador Barry Faure, Secretary of State of Seychelles and Chairperson-in-Office of the Contact Group, symbolically passed the baton to the IOC Presidency, represented by his Secretary General, at a handover ceremony held in Port Louis on December 1st 2017.
The Indian Ocean Commission will begin its mandate for a two-year term on January 1, 2018.
Ambassador Barry Faure presented the results of the Seychelles presidency of the CGPCS in front of a guest audience. Satisfied with the work done during his tenure, he said:
“We have been able to set up more appropriate mechanisms to combat piracy, and the IOC’s take-over of the CGPCS is a natural continuation as this regional organization has always been involved in the fight against piracy and other threats and risks at sea through its Seychelles-based Anti-Piracy Unit, the MASE program and also by co-chairing since 2014, the CGPCS Working Group 1 focused on the development of regional capacity “.
For IOC Secretary General Hamada Madi, who represented Vishnu Lutchmeenaraidoo, head of Mauritian diplomacy and President of the IOC Council, this new responsibility “will enable IOC to continue and expand the work of Seychelles in Chair of the CGPCS”.
Read the full article in IOC website
Discover the CGPCS website