Under Secretary Jenkins’s Closing Remarks at the Proliferation Security Initiative African Political Meeting and Outreach Event

As we come to a close on the second day of this critical political meeting and outreach event, I note that we have been privileged to receive and participate in many excellent briefs, panel discussions, and detailed guided scenario discussions that focused on the threats over land, from the sea, and through the air. I want to extend a special thanks to all our briefers and expert participants, especially our colleagues from Morocco and other PSI partner states. Their presence here truly underscores the global interdiction community that has developed among PSI partner nations.

The presentations highlighted that PSI participants are committed to the coordinated and effective means to impede and stop shipments of WMD, delivery systems, and related materials flowing to and from states and non-state actors of proliferation concern, consistent with national legal authorities and relevant international law and frameworks, including the UN Security Council.

We have been briefed on how the use of export controls, financial intelligence, and implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions can aid in the fight against proliferation of WMD on the continent of Africa. We have also seen that participation in the PSI is flexible and adaptable. The principles of PSI can be used in a variety of ways and be applied to interdiction scenarios that may not just involve WMD, delivery systems, or related materials.

I hope you now have a clearer picture of the enormous amount of effort necessary to be prepared to conduct interdictions and that this benefits greatly from the exchange of views, best practices, threat information, and capacity-building resources that comes with endorsement of and participation in the PSI.

Most importantly, I want to extend our warmest congratulations and thanks to the countries that have signaled their endorsement of the PSI at this meeting (Benin, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Togo, and Zambia). I look forward to continuing collaboration with you in the PSI context and welcome a discussion of next steps to mark this political commitment to the Initiative.

To other states here today that have not yet endorsed, I would like to strongly urge you to consider carefully the presentations and discussions of the last several days and to endorse the Initiative as soon as possible. While the political commitment contained within the Statement of Interdiction Principles is serious, the process of endorsement is straightforward and we stand ready to assist any country’s deliberation process with information, as requested.

In closing, I thank Morocco for hosting this important PSI Political Meeting and Outreach Event. I thank the planning and support teams for their excellent work. And I thank all of the distinguished representatives from the countries in attendance for your participation over the last two days and look forward to our partnership on these matters in the future.

Thank you.

To read the Co-Chairs’ Summary of the PSI African Political Meeting and Outreach Event, please go here.