International Meeting held on “Creating Economic Opportunities for Somalia”
Source: Shuraako & One Earth Foundation Press Release
On Thursday, May 2, 2013, the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) and One Earth Future Foundation (sponsor of Shuraako and Oceans Beyond Piracy) held an international symposium on ‘Creating Economic Opportunities for Somalia’ at the Institute of International Education in New York. The symposium brought together senior experts from government, business, and NGOs, including many who had attended the CGPCS Plenary meeting on May 1.
The symposium addressed how the current positive momentum for economic development in Somalia can be nurtured and expanded and included speakers from the CGPCS, Somali Economic Forum, Generation Change, the Kopernik, Shuraako, United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime, and NATO.
The panelists agreed that there is a rare window of opportunity to support economic development efforts in Somalia, and that there is great potential for improved livelihoods and economic growth in Somalia and the Horn of Africa region. In addition to the precipitous drop in piracy, Somalia elected a Federal Parliament and President in September 2012 for the first time in over twenty years. Several panelists also stressed the need to coordinate various efforts contributing to economic growth and job creation in Somalia. They noted that different stakeholders had specific value-adds and comparative advantages that could be employed and harnessed to foster invest in Somalia’s future.
Marcel Arsenault, Chairman and CEO of One Earth Future Foundation said, “I applaud the unprecedented commitment among nations, 
international organizations and industry in this endeavor. The recent decrease in pirate attacks has created an opportunity to consider how to encourage synergies and coordination between the mitigation efforts at sea, and initiatives aimed at building capacity ashore, to create a truly sustainable solution to piracy.”
Toshi Nakamura, Co-Founder and CEO of Kopernik.info, an innovative web-based tool which connects donors, providers of innovative technology, and organizations in developing countries who are seeking access to this technology, spoke about how the power of ground-breaking new platforms could be used to accelerate economic growth in Somalia.
Mohamed Ali, Founder of Iftiin Foundation said, “We are working to overcome the barriers to youth entrepreneurship in Somalia including limited business experience, lack of social capital, and limited financing. We welcome a collaborative approach to this crucial mission.”
On May 8, 2013, the Director of Shuraako, Maurice Janssen, will present some of the findings from the symposium at a Somali Trade and Investment Conference, hosted by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office, in London.
More information on the event and the other work of both organizations can be found on their websites www.oceansbeyondpiracy.org; www.thecgpcs.org; andwww.shuraako.org
For further information on the symposium, please contact:
Anna Bowden, Associate Director, Shuraako, One Earth Future Foundation, at abowden@shuraako.org
For information on Oceans Beyond Piracy, please contact:
Jens Vestergaard Madsen, Associate Director, Oceans Beyond Piracy at: jvmadsen@oneearthfuture.org
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Shuraako is a self-funded, non-profit initiative working to promote investment into promising business models and social enterprises in Somalia. Shuraako believes that job creation fosters stability and peace, and is the key to rebuilding Somalia. Developing the business sector generates financial and social revenues. Shuraako aims to help facilitate and coordinate ongoing efforts that support trade, investment and other economic development efforts in Somalia, including but not limited to: Security and Stabilization, Trade & Investment Regulation, Capacity Building & Training and Remittance & Banking Institutions. Shuraako works with all stakeholders involved in this process.
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Oceans Beyond Piracy (OBP) is a project of the One Earth Future Foundation, a privately funded and independent non-profit organization located in Colorado, USA. OBP believes that the answers to the piracy problem should come from within the community of stakeholders. OBP works with an extensive - and growing - number of experts to find a solution to piracy. Through meetings and workshops we host, our research and analysis, and our development and encouragement of new cross-sector partnerships, we support the international community in its efforts to bring an end to contemporary maritime piracy.
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The Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) was created on January 14, 2009, pursuant to UN Security Council Resolution 1851. Chaired by the United States in 2013, the Contact Group continues to coordinate political, military, industry, and non-governmental efforts to bring an end to piracy off the coast of Somalia and to ensure that pirates are brought to justice. This unique international partnership is contributing toward a significant decline in successful pirate attacks in the region. There has not been a single successful pirate attack in the region to date in 2013, and 2012 saw a nearly 75 percent decline in successful attacks over 2011.
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