RTC on International Fisheries Related Issues

Back-to-back with the Department Chiefs’ meeting, the ASEAN-SEAFDEC regional technical consultation on international fisheries related issues was held last February 10 to 12 in the same venue.

The participants were national delegates from the ASEAN and SEAFDEC member countries, representatives of SEAFDEC Secretariat and Departments and the ASEAN Secretariat, and resource persons from the European Commission, Faculty of Economics of Kasetsart University and Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (Thailand). AQD Chief Dr. JD Toledo and Ms. B Acosta also attended the meeting.

The attendees were briefed on development initiatives to improve food security in the ASEAN region and possible contribution from the fisheries sector in realizing the food security objectives.

Regional issues such as EC regulation to prevent, deter, eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing; FAO legally-binding instruments on port state measures for combating IUU fishing; small-scale fisheries; refinements of the required adaptive measures and proposed activities to mitigate impacts of climate change; aquaculture certification; and fisheries subsidies, were reviewed and discussed in the meeting.

Other matters taken up were the resolution issued at the 61st Session of the UN General Assembly on high sea bottom fisheries and the global economic situation and its impact on the fisheries sector.

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