The Government of Malta signed a Host Country Agreement that establishes a UNODC office in Valletta, co-located within the new Malta-based Global Centre for Maritime Sanctions Monitoring.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, Ian Borg, and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Executive Director Ghada Waly, signed the agreement in Vienna, this week. The new UNODC office will be supporting the Global Centre for Maritime Sanctions Monitoring (GCMSM), which the Maltese Government is also launching in cooperation with Antigua and Barbuda in the coming months.
A first-of-its-kind international organisation, the GCMSM is designed to support real-time monitoring of sanctions implementation at sea, strengthen the integrity of flag registries, and reinforce global maritime domain awareness. In this regard, it responds to a critical gap in global maritime enforcement, as it will focus on supporting flag states, particularly open registries, in building capacity for vessel screening, monitoring, and compliance, while addressing the widespread issue of flag-hopping, maritime sanctions evasion and transnational crime.
Within this centre, the UNODC office in Malta will be a dedicated hub for delivering technical assistance and training to flag states under the EU-funded Project MUSE. This includes support in the areas of vessel detection, interdiction, disruption of illicit networks, and prosecution, reflecting a shared commitment to strengthening maritime security, the rule of law, and accountability on the high seas.
“This unique initiative brings together technology, intelligence, and capacity development. Thanks to Malta’s leadership, in partnership with Antigua and Barbuda, and our collaboration with UNODC and the EU, we are empowering maritime administrations to deter sanctions violations and enhance accountability in global shipping,” Deputy Prime Minister Borg said.
He explained that this agreement marks a major milestone for Malta as a hub for international maritime cooperation, underlining its role in promoting responsible flagging practices, enhancing global enforcement architecture, and addressing long-standing gaps in maritime governance.
Whilst progressing towards initial operational capability in November, the GCMSM is already working on several priority dossiers. Its work is structured around two core pillars, including vessel monitoring and alert dissemination, as well as information sharing among flag registries and information fusion centres.
The GCMSM will also leverage partnerships with international initiatives such as the EU project CRIMARIO, exploiting its neutral and secure IORIS information exchange platform. It will also synergise with the Registry Information Sharing Compact (RISC), a coalition of flag registries working together to counter the exploitation of weak flag governance through voluntary intelligence-sharing.
Photo: ODPM-MFT
