The United Nations is considering where to establish courts to try the more that 1,000 suspected pirates currently being held in 20 countries across the globe.

The U.N.'s top legal advisor, Patricia O'Brien, told the Security Council on Tuesday that Somalia, with the most number of pirates in detention, prefers to have the establishment of specialized courts in Somalia. It has, according to O'Brien, already conducted a large number of prosecutions.

But several pirates have also been prosecuted in other countries. including the United States, Kenya, Tanzania, South Korea, the Netherlands and Yemen.

O'Brien said the Transitional Federal Government in Somalia is willing to work with the United Nations to find a location within the country to build new prisons to house the suspected pirates and establish specialized courts.