ZOPACAS

South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone

History

The South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone - ZOPACAS is the main mechanism for dealing with security issues in the South Atlantic, as it brings together all countries with a coastline in this region. The recent instability caused by acts of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, illegal unreported and unregulated fishing, as well as environmental disasters caused by oil spills from ships, are some of the threats that require increased cooperation, information exchange, and presence actions among friendly countries in the region.

Established by Resolution 41/11 of the United Nations General Assembly in 1986, ZOPACAS was designed to promote dialogue and cooperation among the 24 countries on both sides of the South Atlantic, especially on maritime issues, focusing on the maintenance of peace and security in the region.

Following the 1st Ministerial Meeting in Rio de Janeiro (1988), subsequent meetings were held in Abuja, Nigeria (1990); Brasília, Brazil (1994); Somerset West, South Africa (1996); Buenos Aires, Argentina (1998); Luanda, Angola (2007); Montevideo, Uruguay (2013); and Saint Vincent Island, Cape Verde (2023).

Brazil has been carrying out other initiatives parallel to the Ministerial Meetings in search of strengthening ZOPACAS, such as:

• Maritime Security and Search and Rescue Operations Seminar (2013);

• Seminar on Maritime Security in the South Atlantic (2016);

• Workshop "ZOPACAS and Security in the South Atlantic" (2019);

• Symposium (WEBINAR) “ZOPACAS’ Contribution to Economic Development and Maritime Security in the South Atlantic” (2020);

• 1st ZOPACAS Maritime Symposium, “The Importance of ZOPACAS in Increasing Regional Cooperation and Socioeconomic Development in the South Atlantic.”; and

• 2nd ZOPACAS Maritime Symposium, "Strengthening Maritime Cooperation and Security in the South Atlantic." (2023).

After 10 years without meetings, the city of Mindelo, in Cape Verde, hosted the VIII ZOPACAS Ministerial Meeting. In total, 16 of the 24 member countries met to discuss and finalize the Mindelo 2023 declaration and action plan. This meeting can be considered the most recent opportunity for the forum's countries to learn about and reflect on common problems, visions, and approaches of each State in the region and, thus, think of cooperative and collaborative solutions.

During the meeting, the Foreign Minister of Brazil highlighted the strategic importance that the Brazilian Navy attributes to cooperation in the area of naval operations in the South Atlantic: “The South Atlantic is vital for all our societies, and maintaining its peaceful character must be our first-order strategic priority. For this, we must have the capacity to patrol and defend it.”

Thus, this year's Symposium intends to take another step toward consolidating a maritime forum for the South Atlantic region, opening and maintaining integrative communication channels that can facilitate interlocutions, stimulate reflections, and seek solutions. For this reason, a program was planned on current themes and interests of the South Atlantic coastal countries, with the main theme: “ZOPACAS - Strengthening Maritime Cooperation and Security in the South Atlantic.”