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UN Secretary-General António Guterres urges international cooperation to strengthen maritime security
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Summary
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told an open debate convened by Greece that maritime security depends on respect for the UN Charter and the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, intensified efforts to address root causes such as poverty and weak governance, and broad partnerships across governments, industry and communities.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres told an open debate convened by Greece that strengthening maritime security requires respect for international law, action on the root causes of insecurity and expanded partnerships across governments, industry and coastal communities.
Guterres said the maritime domain underpins global security and economies and warned that threats ranging from piracy to cyberattacks and trafficking have increased in recent months, citing International Maritime Organization data that reported a 47.5% rise in incidents in the first quarter of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024.
"This debate underscores first of all that the basic condition to preserve maritime security is the respect by all countries of the UN Charter and international law as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea," Guterres said. He listed traditional threats such as piracy, armed robbery, trafficking and organized crime as well as emerging dangers including cyberattacks on ports and shipping companies.
Guterres pointed to regional concentrations of incidents, saying attacks in Asia "nearly doubled, especially in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore," and noting disruptions in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden from attacks by Houthi forces on commercial vessels. He also referenced continuing piracy, kidnappings and oil theft in the Gulf of Guinea and the role of the Gulf of Aden and the Mediterranean Sea in migrant smuggling and trafficking.
The secretary-general highlighted UN system support for regional initiatives and capacity-building: efforts to enhance safe navigation in the Black Sea, to counter piracy off Somalia, and to support the Yaoundé Architecture for Maritime Security and interregional coordination in West and Central Africa, which he said saw piracy incidents fall from 81 in 2020 to 18 last year.
Guterres described three priorities for action. "First, respect for international law...the UN Charter and the Convention on the Law of the Sea"; second, reducing root causes of maritime insecurity—poverty, lack of livelihoods and weak governance—through development, judicial reform, training and technology; and third, partnerships that involve coastal communities, regional organizations, shipping companies, insurers, port operators and civil society.
He concluded by urging collective action: "Let's take action to support and secure maritime spaces as well as the communities and the people who count on them. I thank you."
