The UN Security Council on Wednesday encouraged member states to continue to cooperate with Somali authorities in the fight against piracy and armed robbery at sea.

In a unanimously adopted resolution, the 15-nation council decided to renew the authorization granted to countries and regional organizations to cooperate with Somalia for another 12 months.

While deploring all acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia, the council recognizes that piracy exacerbates instability in Somalia by introducing large amounts of illicit cash that fuels additional crime and corruption.

In this regard, the council "urges all states to take appropriate actions under their existing domestic law to prevent the illicit financing of acts of piracy and the laundering of its proceeds," said the resolution.

According to a UN report, private activity in Somalia has increasingly shifted to the hijacking for ransom of dhows and foreign fishing vessels. The complex linkage between piracy and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing continues to be of concern.

(Xinhua News Agency November 9, 2016)