On 3-4 April 2023, SEACOP held its Coordination Committee in Expertise France (EF) headquarters in Paris, France.
The team, which came from West Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America and Europe, gathered to discuss the achievements of the past three months, as well as the upcoming activities to be carried out in the next few weeks.
They were welcomed by EF’s Director of the Peace, Stability and Security Department Xavier Cousquer and the Head of the Global Threats Unit Anne Giudicelli.
The meeting also sought to review the lessons learned during the 5th phase of the project, and to build a fertile ground for the strategic orientation of the upcoming months, which should keep fostering synergies with similar maritime initiatives, particularly within the EMPACT priorities, to reenforce both the threat assessment and its operational response at a regional and interregional level.
Over the past year, SEACOP V delivered a wide range of capacity building training and mentoring courses across all three regions of implementation. The project also held numerous national steering committees and signed several memoranda of understanding with partner authorities.
Funded by the European Commission , SEACOP V was launched in May 2021, following ten years of implementation for SEACOP I to IV.
The action aims at contributing to the fight against illicit maritime trafficking and associated criminal networks in the targeted countries of West Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, consistent with human rights, in order to alleviate its negative impact on security, public health, socio-economic development and the environment.
It also puts a specific emphasis on women empowerment.
