6.1 United Nations organizations in the region
6.2 Other organizations in the region
6.3 Economic communities of the region
6.4 Regional and global aquaculture development projects
The countries of the region are active in a number of regional organizations in which aquaculture has been recognized as a sector, either individually or as a component of a larger sector such as fisheries or agriculture, and which has received support in some form. The principal regional organizations are those of the United Nations (UN) in which all the countries actively participate as members.
These same countries participate in the individual organizations of the UN system which are actively represented in the region. These include the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations;(FAO) and, with the exception of Albania, the World Bank (WB). All these organizations have substantial records of providing technical and capital assistance to aquaculture development world-wide, and some in the region.
Other UN organizations represented in the region and having some participation in the development of aquaculture (but predominantly outside the region) are the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco). Some specialized agencies of the UN which also work in the field are the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). Not all these organizations or agencies have yet worked specifically in this region in aquaculture, but one of the action programmes of UNEP is concerned with the Mediterranean Sea and includes a project component for aquaculture within lagoon management.
FAO is by far the main agency in the UN with regard to aquaculture activites in the region. These activities have been executed to some extent through the General Fisheries Council for the Mediterranean (GFCM), particularly national surveys for the fisheries-cum-aquaculture sector, and organization of specialized aquaculture sessions at annual GFCM regional meetings. Many of FAO's activities were coordinated through the ADCP, in particular the management from 1985 to 1987 of MEDRAP.
With the exception of Israel, all countries in the region are members of one or several of the Economic Commissions in the UN. For example,
- Albania, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, and Yugoslavia are members of the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE);- Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia are members of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA);
- France, Italy, and Spain are members of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Carribean (ECLAC).
- Lebanon and Syria are members of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Africa (ESCWA); and
- France is a member of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).
Although ECE, ECA, and ESCWA have had only limited involvement in aquaculture development, their interest is now growing. For example, the Natural Resources Division of ECA undertook in 1986 a study entitled "The Fishery and Aquaculture Sector in North Africa: Harmonization of Development Policies". This was done within the framework of a multidisciplinary project on cooperation and trade in food and agriculture production in North Africa, implemented jointly by ECA/FAO. Follow-up of this work will include an analysis of the present state of aquaculture in the North African countries, with particular interest centred on potential aquaculture exports.
Other non-technical international organizations of importance in the region and with possible involvement in aquaculture development are:
- the Council of Europe, in which Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain, and Turkey are members;- the Council of Arab Economic Community, of which Egypt and Libya are members; and
- the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), of which France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Turkey are members.
The OECD funded in 1979 a consultancy on aquaculture development in the lagoon of Messolonghi in Greece and is now preparing a study on aquaculture based on questionnaires sent to member countries. The provisional document was distributed for information at the 61st Session of the Committee for Fisheries in February 1988 and used at an extended meeting on aquaculture held in Paris in June 1988.
The European Community, through the European Development Fund, is presently involved in the financing of a development project for fisheries and aquaculture in Bardawill lagoon (Egypt).
The International Commission for the Scientific Exploration of the Mediterranean Sea (ICSEM) has expressed some interest in aquaculture at meetings and conferences, particularly with regard to lagoon exploitation and extensive farming.
Institutions within bilateral cooperation structures have expressed some interest in aquaculture in the region. For example, with cooperation from Italy through financial participation in MEDRAP there has been funding for the International Aquaculture Training Centre at Policoro, Southern Italy; and from France through the Agence de Cooperation Technique Internationale (ACTIM) there have been planning studies involving aquaculture and fisheries in Egypt (Red Sea and Sinai), and through the Association de Cooperation Culturelle et Technique (ACCT) for fellowships in France to Egyptian marine biologists.
In addition to institutions for bilateral cooperation from countries in the region, institutions from countries outside the region also had strong involvement in aquaculture in the Mediterranean. For example, USAID has financed studies, engineering, technical assistance, training, construction, and equipment of a number of aquaculture projects in Egypt.
Many research laboratories in the countries have some involvement in international cooperation, but there is no research institution with an outstanding international orientation in aquaculture activity in the region.
The major economic community in the region is the European Economic Community (EEC) which is represented by five members, namely France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. The EEC is the major consumer of the aquaculture production of the region, and is practically the only buyer of aquaculture items exported by non-EEC countries of the region. It is the major supplier of technology, equipment, and products to the aquaculture sector in the region, and it is also the major supplier of capital and financial assistance Co producers in the region through FEOGA grants, national grants, and national public bank financing to its members.
Four countries in the region, namely Algeria, Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia, are members of the Organization of African Unity (OAU). There is no information on any involvement of this economic community in aquaculture development.
There are few regional development projects within the area. Seven aquaculture development projects are listed in the Aquaculture Aid Profiles (ADCP, 1988). One is regional, three are being implemented in Egypt and the others in Greece, Tunisia, and Yugoslavia.
The regional project, MEDRAP, was defined in 1978. It started operating in 1980 from its headquarters in Tunisia under joint financing by UNDP, the Government of Italy, and the participating countries (Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Malta, Morocco, Portugal, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey, and Yugoslavia). The primary objective of MEDRAP was to facilitate the transfer of aquaculture technologies and know-how from the more advanced countries to the lesser advanced ones. This was achieved through specialized technical consultancies, training sessions at the project training centre at Policoro, and the organization of seminars in different countries of the region. A second phase of MEDRAP (to be called AQUAMED) is presently being finalized with Italian funding. It is to have headquarters in a place with good communications, strong public relations, and an improved library archive component.
Finally, the ADCP was created to support global initiatives and cooperation in aquaculture. Its prime activities have extended into Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Mediterranean regions. Advisory and guideline publications produced by it deal with both administration of the sector, such as technical assistance, economic development, planning, engineering. marketing, etc., and in technology. The Programme is executed by FAO and is based in Rome, Italy.
