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Home » Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security » Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM) » Office of Plans, Policy and Analysis (PM/PPA) » Counter Piracy and Maritime Security (PM/CPMS) » International Response: Contact Group

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Two French warships maneuver closely during replenishment while on anti-piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden.

The Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) was created on January 14, 2009 pursuant to UN Security Council Resolution 1851. This voluntary, ad hoc international forum brings together countries, organizations, and industry groups with an interest in combating piracy. Participating states seek to coordinate political, military, and other efforts to bring an end to piracy off the coast of Somalia and to ensure that pirates are brought to justice. The Group meets three times a year at the United Nations, while its four Working Groups meet regularly around the world to develop and implement national counter-piracy policies and programs.

Nearly 70 countries and several international organizations participate in the Contact Group, including the African Union, the Arab League, the European Union, the International Maritime Organization, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and various departments and agencies of the United Nations.

The Contact Group's five Working Groups are:

• Working Group 1: Military and Operational Coordination, Information Sharing, and Capacity Building, chaired by the United Kingdom, focuses on force generation, operational coordination and capacity-building;
• Working Group 2: Judicial Issues, chaired by Denmark, focuses on judicial mechanisms for deterring piracy;
• Working Group 3: Strengthening Shipping Self-Awareness and Other Capabilities, chaired by the United States, works closely with the commercial shipping industry to enhance awareness and improve capabilities;
• Working Group 4: Public Information, chaired by Egypt, seeks to make clear to the world, and especially to the Somali public, the damage being done by pirates; and
• Working Group 5: Financial Flows, chaired by Italy, focuses on the illicit financial flows associated with piracy in order to disrupt the pirate enterprise ashore.

Point of Contact: Donna Hopkins, Coordinator, Counter Piracy and Maritime Security, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs (PM/CPMS), U.S. Department of State, 2025 E Street, N.W., Suite NW8090, Washington, D.C. 20006, (202) 453-9309, HopkinsDL@state.gov.