In an important step to enhance international cooperation to combat maritime threats, the Djibouti Code of Conduct (DCOC) / Jeddah Amendment intends to deploy an International Liaison Officer (ILO) at the Indian Ocean Information Fusion Center (IFC-IOR).
International Cooperation to Combat Maritime Threats
The Djibouti Code of Conduct (DCOC) primarily aims to combat piracy and armed robbery in the western Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden, and the Red Sea. With the Jeddah Amendment in 2017, the Djibouti Code of Conduct expanded its scope to combat illegal maritime activities such as illegal fishing, human trafficking, and smuggling.
International Cooperation at the Information Fusion Center – Indian Ocean
The team consists of 18 member countries, mainly from the Arab regions and East Africa, and India became a observer member in August 2020.
Ongoing Cooperation and Future Vision
Captain Behjbai emphasized the possibility of collaborative learning, as the International Liaison Officer at the Djibouti Code of Conduct (DCOC) gains valuable insights from the Indian Ocean Information Fusion Center (IFC-IOR).
He added: “If the International Liaison Officer of the Djibouti Code of Conduct (DCOC) comes, they can learn with us, sit with us, understand, and then return and convey what they learned to their country. We are in close contact with the Djibouti Code of Conduct (DCOC).”
Captain Behjbai confirmed that the organization aims to host 40 International Liaison Officers at this center and is progressing towards achieving this goal.
Challenges in the Indian Ocean and How to Address Them
The maritime region of the Indian Ocean faces numerous challenges due to its significance. With significance comes challenges – a range of challenges. The priority of these challenges may vary for different countries. We primarily monitor 5 groups of challenges: piracy, armed robbery, drug smuggling, illegal fishing, and maritime incidents. There are many challenges that we categorize, and then the International Liaison Officers monitor them.
Among the significant challenges facing small island nations is drug smuggling, which affects the youth. In countries such as Mauritius and Seychelles, this challenge is of utmost importance. Illegal fishing is also a major problem occurring in our region. Recently, attention has been drawn to the situation on the western side of the region, and we are analyzing that information. The threats are similar for everyone, priorities shift, and when something happens, we focus on it.
Expanding the Organization and Future Vision
We believe in trust, and it’s good to know that the environment also understands what we are doing here. We are proud that we have achieved a lot in these five years. In recent years, the number of partnerships we are forming has increased, and the cooperation we have had with international partners has grown significantly. More and more regions are looking to us for assistance and cooperation. Our future, of course, is not the end of what we have achieved. The organization must grow. We have a complete roadmap we want to achieve in the next five years and beyond.
Cooperation with African Countries
Certainly, the Djibouti Code of Conduct / Jeddah Amendment involves Eastern African countries made up of 21 nations. We have recently interacted with them. We are in continuous dialogue; they are in the process of establishing their own standard operating procedures for the information-sharing network. We have been a part of establishing these standard operating procedures, and that has been accomplished. Now they are looking at sending one of their International Liaison Officers to us, and we have invited them. If the International Liaison Officer of the Djibouti Code of Conduct (DCOC) comes, they can learn with us, sit with us, understand, and then return and convey what they learned to their country. We are in close contact with the Djibouti Code of Conduct (DCOC). We are helping them build an information center.
Certainly, there has not been an International Liaison Officer from Africa yet, but there is a plan to have one from Africa soon.
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