France has signed the Jeddah Amendment to the Djibouti Code of Conduct, a regional initiative to combat piracy, armed robbery against ships and other illicit maritime activities in the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden.
Her Excellency Ambassador Carné de Trécesson de Coëtlogon deposited the legal instrument with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on 11 November.
France has become the 19th Signatory State to the Code, which has the aim of strengthening regional maritime security, enhancing information sharing, and supporting capacity-building.
According to the IMO, the Jeddah Amendment plays a key role in promoting coordination and communication among Signatory States.
The Djibouti Code-Jeddah Agreement builds on the earlier 2009 Code that was adopted to combat piracy and armed robbery against ships.
Since 2017, it has been expanded to tackle illegal matters such as unregulated fishing, arms and drug trafficking, the illegal wildlife trade, crude oil theft, human trafficking, smuggling, and illegal dumping of toxic waste.
