410 Journal of the Spanish Institute for Strategic Studies N. 4 / 2014 Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea and France, at which the Djibouti Code of Conduct on the repression of piracy and armed robbery against ships in the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden was approved. In September 2009, Japan donated $14 million to a trustee fund to support the implementation of the Djibouti Code of Conduct. The Code promotes communication between the states, strengthening the capacity of countries in the region to dissuade, detain and bring pirates to justice, promoting greater awareness in relation to the maritime situation and the reinforcement of local coast guarding levels. The signatories also undertake to review their national legislation with a view to ensuring that there are laws in place to criminalise piracy, as well as adequate provisions for the exercise of their jurisdictions, the implementation of investigations and the prosecution of alleged offenders. In reality, the Djibouti Code of Conduct seems to have followed in the footsteps of the recognised Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP). This agreement was set up in 2006 to coordinate the response of Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore to the rise in piracy in the Straits of Malacca. The implementation of concrete measures, such as the development of joint patrols, brought about a marked decline in maritime piracy in the region; this appears to be the model which the Djibouti Code of Conduct has modelled itself on. Also relevant is the activity of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, GCPCS. This Group came into being in 2009, under UN resolution 1851 (2008), to facilitate the discussion and coordination of the activities of states and organisations fighting to conquer Somali piracy. Their activities are developed by five working groups, covering aspects ranging from the coordination of naval operations, the legal, penal and maritime framework of the states in the region and combating piracy onshore. To develop the activity of CGPCS and other bodieM 2014 the fund had received almost $21 million, of which 90% had already been earmarked and disbursed in over thirty projects.19 Also of note is the counter-piracy programme, initiated in 2009 by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), aimed at assisting Kenya in combating Somali pirates, which later expanded to include other countries in the region. Its objective is to deter and prosecute suspected pirates under the rule of law and respecting human rights in accordance with international best practice. In doing so, this programme focused on promoting fair trials and imprisonment in regional centres, with the construction of prisons and other facilities in various countries. 19 Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia. Sixteenth Plenary Session, United Nations Head Quarters, 14 May 2014, Communiqué: http://www.thecgpcs.org/download.do?path=plenary/26/ Communique%20-%20FINAL.doc Consulted: 21/08/2014.
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