Presentation of the legal assessment component carried out by the EU GoGIN project. Actions carried out and future programme presented to the steering committee in April 2019.

1. GOGIN PROJECT ADVISORY COMMITTEE
State of the art of the legal and judicial assessments
Dakar – 9 April 2019
KE-Legal, Marta Chantal Ribeiro

2. INTITUTIONAL CONCEPT underlying the legal and judicial
assessments of States
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ECOWAS |
ECCAS | GGC
UNODC
European
Union
Other partners
GoGIN
SWAIMS

3. THE TEAM
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Giuseppe Sernia
Ousmane Diouf
Marta Chantal Ribeiro
Thomas Tarrade
The assessments are coordinated by
the UNODC, who has extensive
experience in the field and already
did many legal and judicial
assessments. Other assessments are
expected in the framework of the
SWAIMS project
The composition of the missions
benefits from the participation of a
representative from the Yaoundé
Architecture /ECs

4. Legal and judicial assessments:
LEGAL CHALLENGES
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The assessments are focused on the fight against crime at sea (crime = the most severe illegal act) in order to
answer the following challenges pursued in the framework of the Yaoundé Architecture:
• Implementation at the national level of the international treaties and agreements concerning the fight against crime at sea
(domestication)
• Adoption of strong and effective domestic laws and regulations applicable to crime at sea
• Strengthening of the State authority at sea (Navy, Police, other authorities)
• Strengthening of the State administrative and judicial performance and capacities (investigation; prosecution)
• Strengthening of the international cooperation for fighting against transnational organized crime
• Development of a regional framework for fighting against crime at sea : harmonization of domestic law

5. Legal and judicial assessments:
METHODOLOGY
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• Development of a solid and harmonized methodology for the legal and judicial assessments
• Official/diplomatic contacts for organizing the first mission for assessment in the field
• Meetings and exchange of emails: sharing, by the national authorities, of relevant domestic laws and
regulations and other relevant information, as well as sharing of domestic practices regarding the current
legal frameworks and its applicability to concrete situations
• Drafting of the report: detailed analysis of the national legal framework and recommendations
• Sharing and presentation of the preliminary report to the national authorities in a second mission:
(comments and improvement of the report)
• Conclusion of the report and sharing of the final version with the national and regional authorities and
centres of the Yaoundé Architecture (ICC, CRESMAO, CRESMAC)
• Based on the report, other activities, such as training and support to law reform, are expected by State
initiative or within the regional cooperation framework (in particular, ICC – UNODC – EU projects)

6. Legal and judicial assessments:
REPORTS’ STRUCTURE:
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• List of domestic laws and regulations
• List of the national authorities consulted
• State of the art of the ratification of the international treaties and
agreements addressing the most important crimes committed at
sea
• System of authority at sea and legal procedures: boarding;
inspection; search, detention and seizure; investigation and
prosecution
• Scope of State jurisdiction at sea (territorial and extraterritorial)
• Criminalisation and sanctions
 State House (ONS); Ministries (Foreign
Affairs, Defence/Navy, Justice, Fisheries)
 Maritime Authority/ Préfecture Maritime
 National Police / Gendarmerie Nationale
/ Maritime Police / Coastguard
 Judiciary Police
 Public Prosecutor Office
 Judiciary
 piracy (UNCLOS)
 armed robbery, banditry (SUA)
 drugs and arms trafficking, trafficking in persons
(Vienna, UNTOC)
 transnational organized crime (UNOTC)
 IUU fishing (FAO)

7. Legal and judicial assessments:
STATE OF PROGRESS
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ASSESSMENTS CONCLUDED (Zones F and G)
• Sénégal (Ousmane Diouf, Giuseppe Sernia and Thomas Tarrade)
• Liberia (Thomas Tarrade and Giuseppe Sernia)
• Cabo Verde (Marta Chantal Ribeiro and Giuseppe Sernia): to be translated into English
ONGOING ASSESSMENTS (Zones F and G)
• Sierra Leone: first mission concluded (Marta Chantal Ribeiro and Giuseppe Sernia)
• Guinée Conakry: first mission expected for May (Marta Chantal Ribeiro, Ousmane Diouf and
Giuseppe Sernia)
• The Gambia: first mission expected for May (Marta Chantal Ribeiro, Ousmane Diouf and Giuseppe
Sernia)

8. -Strengthening the efficiency of the legal and judicial systems:
CONCLUSIONS
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• The assessments are an essential prerequisite for a full and thorough knowledge of the existing situation
throughout the region and will be a basis to consider, jointly with the concerned State, in future initiatives at
regional level (in particular, ICC – UNODC – SWAIMS project / EU)
• The cooperation of national authorities (upstream and downstream) is fundamental and decisive
• Frequently, the international framework governed by the law of the sea is poorly understood
• Old and insufficient domestic law and regulations; very often they are designed to address land or coastal
problems
• Diversified legal systems (e.g., common law and civil law) – harmonisation need to be prudent in order to avoid
distortion of the essence of each system without evident benefice
• Lack of skilled staff (in number and quality), as well as of material and financial resources
• At regional level: pyramid of similar objectives – the duplication of initiatives for the same purpose and
overcharge of national authorities should be avoided
...YET THE SIGNS ARE POSITIVE

9. -Strengthening the efficiency of the legal and judicial systems:
CONCLUSIONS
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...PROMISSING PROSPECTS
• Openness and cooperation of national authorities
• Legal reforms ongoing and openness to new legal amendments
• Commitment of ICC and regional centres
• Enhanced regional identity
• Willingness regarding regional and interregional cooperation

10. Gulf of Guinea Inter-regional Network
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▰ Thank you for your attention
▰ QUESTIONS?