VICTORIA, Seychelles — Seychelles, in its capacity as chair of the Contact Group on Illicit Maritime Activities (CGIMA), successfully chaired the strategic consultative meeting of the contact group on Thursday October 23, 2025. The session was held on the margins of the 53rd Shared Awareness and Deconfliction (SHADE) Conference in Bahrain, and was chaired by Ambassador Gervais Moumou, Seychelles’ resident Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates.
The meeting brought together over 50 delegates representing member states, regional organisations, international partners, and the private sector, as well as institutions such as the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), the Djibouti Code of Conduct – Jeddah Amendment (DCoC-JA), the European Union, EUNAVFOR Operation Atalanta, the Indian Ocean Commission, the International Maritime Organisation, and the World Shipping Council.
The meeting marked the first CGIMA engagement under Seychelles’ chairmanship, following the official handover from Kenya earlier this year. It served as a platform to review and endorse the CGIMA strategic roadmap for 2025-2026, which was presented by the chair as the key guiding document outlining Seychelles’ vision, priorities, and practical steps to strengthen regional coordination and dialogue on maritime security across the Western Indian Ocean.
In his opening remarks, Ambassador Moumou highlighted Seychelles’ commitment to advancing regional maritime security and cooperation, through dialogue and collective action. He noted that CGIMA, as the successor to the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, has evolved to address a wider range of maritime challenges including trafficking, illegal fishing, and environmental crimes. The meeting endorsed the roadmap in principle, with final adoption to take place at the next CGIMA plenary in 2026.
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