Dalhousie University Launches PIRACY Project
Researchers at Dalhousie University, led by the Marine Affairs Program (MAP), are taking a new approach to an age-old problem faced by seafarers the world over: piracy. A half-million dollar, two-year research grant from the TK Foundation and in-kind Dalhousie University support will be used to examine issues surrounding modern piracy, to gain insights that may help to prevent future outbreaks of violence at sea.
Key Points:
The Policy Development and Interdisciplinary Research for Actions on Coastal Communities, Youth and Seafarers(PIRACY) Project will involve a broad stocktaking of recent piracy incidents and counteractions, so as to determine the true impacts and costs of piracy on seafarers, coastal states and communities where piracy has become a major industry
The analysis will lead to an assessment of policy alternatives for dealing with the problem in a comprehensive and integrated manner, rather than the usual 'silo' approach of examining piracy from a single thematic area, be it legal, operational or socio-economic, including research into likely parallels with child soldiers. Policy recommendations will be available for discussion and presented to key policy stakeholders who have both the mandate and responsibility for addressing the problem of piracy and for protecting the economic and social well being of communities and seafarers that are affected by acts of piracy.
The TK Foundation is an independent foundation that creatively invests in and supports programs that promote knowledge and education of the seas and oceans, and strengthen maritime safety & security for the betterment of individuals, communities and the environment.
Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Management, which includes programs in Business, Public Administration, Information Management, Marine Affairs and Resource and Environmental Studies, offers a holistic and values-based approach to management education and research. The Faculty’s vision is to be the acknowledged centre of values-based management whose graduates become private sector, public sector and civil society leaders who manage with integrity, focus on sustainability and make things happen.
Pull Quotes:
“Dalhousie is one of the few universities in the world that could undertake such an integrated focus on the issue of piracy. This interdisciplinary project draws upon Dalhousie’s strengths to examine the issue of piracy from the perspective of its economic, social, legal, political, governance, administrative and security/operationalaspects,” says Lucia Fanning, Director, MAP, Dalhousie Faculty of Management.
"Piracy is not merely a local, isolated problem in the developing world; in an inter-connected and inter-dependent global community piracy puts seafarers in considerable peril and causes unnecessary distress to their families. It also impedes the efficient, peaceful operation of the international system of trade and security, on which global prosperity, growth and sustainability depend. The TK Foundation is therefore delighted to be working with Dalhousie’s team of experts on identifying new perspectives and developing innovative ways of dealing with the age-old, continuing scourge of piracy”, notes Kimberly Karlshoej, TK Foundation representative
Resource Links:
Contacts:
- Colin Craig, Faculty of Management (902)223-3981, colin.craig@dal.ca
