Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia
The Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia, abbreviated as ReCAAP or RECAAP, is a multilateral agreement between 16 countries in Asia, concluded in November 2004 and includes the RECAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC), an initiative for facilitating the dissemination of piracy-related information. To date, twenty one countries in various parts of the world have ratified the ReCAAP agreement. ReCAAP History The Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) is the first regional government-to-government agreement to promote and enhance cooperation against piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia. ReCAAP ISC was proposed in 1999 as a result of shared concern specifically related to cases of piracy and armed robbery, and it came into force in November 2006 after further ratification by member states. To date, 21 States (14 Asian countries, 5 European countries, Australia, the USA) have become Contracting Parties to ReCAAP. The 21 Contracting Parties of ReCAAP: (As of August 2021) The Structure of ReCAAP ReCAAP was established as a decentralized security network, which included the formation of an Information Security Center (ISC) and a Governing Council. The ISC also serves as a platform for information exchange with the ReCAAP Focal Points via the Information Network System (IFN). The Governing Council consists of one representative from each contracting member and is tasked with overseeing a focal point and managing the ISC's procedures. ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC) The ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ReCAAP ISC) was established under the Agreement and was officially launched on 29 November 2006 in Singapore. Krishnaswami Natrajan is the current executive director. The emergence of the ISC has created the interaction to minimize the acts of piracy and robbery to occur in maritime security territory. It provides epistemic analysis assistance to prevent and improve the ability of the authorities to deal with the issues of piracy through three pillars: Sharing regional security information, capacity building measures, and cooperative arrangement planning. Information Sharing The ReCAAP ISC conducts timely and accurate information sharing on incidents of piracy and sea robbery. The ReCAAP ISC manages a network of information sharing with the Focal Points of Contracting Parties on 24/7 basis. Through this information sharing, the ReCAAP ISC can issue warnings and alerts to the shipping industry and facilitate the responses by the law enforcement agencies of littoral states. Based on the detailed information of incidents collected, verified and collated, the ReCAAP ISC provides accurate statistics and analysis of the piracy and armed robbery situation in Asia by its periodical reports (weekly, monthly, quarterly, half-yearly and annual reports). Information sharing mainly refers to: The formation of a decentralized security network simplifying communication between the ISC and the Focal Points The launch of an IFN mobile app in 2014 to increase the accessibility of reporting incidents The publication of reports, alerts and updates, as well as forums and conferences from accurate reporting by Focal Points Capacity Building In order to strengthen its network of information sharing,