Media Home
UN Web TV
UN PhotoSecurity Council
Strengthening maritime security through international cooperation for global stability - Security Council, 9919th meeting
The head of the United Nations told the Security Council today that the “basic condition” for preserving maritime security is that all States respect international law, following which speakers in a day-long debate urged cooperation to address common challenges in this domain.
“Without maritime security, there can be no global security,” said António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations. Yet, the world’s oceans are increasingly under strain from threats both traditional and emerging — challenges around contested boundaries, depletion of maritime resources, escalating geopolitical tensions — and “no region is spared”, he stressed. “And the problem is getting worse,” he added, spotlighting Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, trafficking in the Gulf of Aden and the Mediterranean Sea and myriad crime in the Gulf of Guinea.
“Facing these and other threats, the world’s maritime routes and the people depending on them are sending a clear ‘SOS’,” he said, urging action in “three key areas” — respecting international law, addressing the root causes of maritime insecurity and creating “partnerships at all levels”. Pointing out that the upcoming 2025 UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France, will “provide an important moment for the countries of the world to take action”, he underscored: “As threats to maritime security are becoming more complex and interconnected, enhanced coordination and stronger maritime governance are essential.”
- Statement: António Guterres, UN Secretary-General
- Briefer: Melina N. Travlos, President, Board of Directors, Union of Greek Shipowners
- Briefer: Christian Bueger, Professor of International Relations at the University of Copenhagen and a research fellow at the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research
