Mr Satia,
Chief of the International Institutions and Liaison Service of the FAO,
Honourable Delegates,
Distinguished Participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have much pleasure and great satisfaction in welcoming you on Malagasy soil to the opening ceremony of the present FAO Ad hoc Technical Meeting on the future of the South West Indian Ocean Committee. Indeed, it is moving to see such attendance and good will considering the distances that you have had to travel and our current capricious wintry weather. Fortunately, you have arrived safely. Madagascar is very happy to welcome you.
The purpose of this Technical Meeting needs no explanation, especially with regard to its commendable objective of reaching a consensus on a revised draft agreement for the establishment of a regional fisheries commission. The Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission, at its session in Australia in February 1980, decided to establish a Committee, characterised by a regional approach to the management of our fishery resources recognising the specific conditions in each of our countries. In this respect, as a select group for reflection and concerted action, this Committee contributed much in an exchange of knowledge towards a better management of our fisheries. Since its establishment, the Fishery Committee of the South West of the Indian Ocean held six sessions of which the last one was in Madagascar in November 1990. I will also mention, here, the last ad hoc technical meeting held in January 2000 in Mauritius, which had as objective to consider the future of this Committee.
Apart from these meetings, several FAO projects were carried out in the Region. Thus there were interregional projects for the development of tuna fisheries in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, based in Sri Lanka; training in fish stock assessment and in planning of marine research, as well as regional workshops on fishing technology and fish quality control. The Fisheries Management and Law Advisory Programme or FIMLAP also organised (in association with Norway) a regional workshop on monitoring, control and surveillance in the South West Indian Ocean, held in Mauritius, December 1996.
At national level, each of our countries continued and continues to benefit from the support of FAO in the field of fisheries and aquaculture. In this context, in Madagascar, FAO has remained a privileged partner in fisheries development for several years.
At the level of institutional support and development of resources, FAO, with or without UNDP funding, has amongst others, helped the Malagasy Government in the following fields:
· review and update of the legislation which led to the drafting of the Fisheries and Aquaculture regulations;
· setting up of a statistical monitoring system;
· drafting of two development plans for the sector;
· operation of a specific fund for the development of fishing and aquaculture;
· organising of a training scheme for marine engineers/fisheries technicians which provided about fifty qualified persons;
· management of resources such as shrimps and lobsters.
Regarding the development by sectors, we can cite:
· Launching of shrimp aquaculture;
· Development of rice-fish culture;
· Support to artisanal fishing;
· Support to traditional marine fisheries; recovery of fish by-catch from prawn fisheries
All these actions benefit the country and most of them have already been adopted and continued by local operators or national structures. They correspond to the major objectives in the development of the fishing sector, which are:
· Fulfilment of the food needs of the population;
· Increase in export and consequently revenue;
· Progress in the fight against poverty of fisherfolk and aquaculture farmers in rural communities.
FAO's role is thus to provide help to individual countries, to promote regional co-operation and mutual assistance, as well as to harmonise the global policy on the utilisation of fisheries resources. In the latter, Madagascar welcomes the implementation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. We personally took part in the Rome Ministerial Meeting of 1999 during which the above-mentioned Code was adopted by FAO member countries. It was a happy event and an unprecedented instance in the history of world fishing. The establishment of Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) along with the adoption in 1982 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea was, undeniably, a great step forward for the world community, but, for various reasons, it is not sufficient [sic ...in relation to fishing]. Indeed, the Code of Conduct completes and strengthens such a legal instrument so that fisheries can "bring a fundamental contribution to food security, to employment, to trade and to the economic welfare of the population of entire world, be they present or future generations. Fisheries should, consequently, be conducted in a responsible manner".
Honourable Delegates
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The work of the technical ad hoc meeting on the future of the South West Indian Ocean Committee in Mauritius in January 2000 resulted in a number of conclusions. On the status of the resources, it was noted that (i) there were regional similarities in catch trends (ii) there were common needs in stock assessment and management across the region, (iii) there was a risk of increased transboundary fishing due to local decrease in catches, shifting fishing fleets and of fishing incursions from outside the region.
It also recommended the establishment of a regional fisheries body. In this respect, a draft agreement was dispatched to the countries in the region.
For its part, Madagascar is favourable to the establishment of a South West Indian Ocean Fisheries Commission. Such a body could provide numerous undeniable advantages such as:
· monitoring of the status of resources;
· promotion of the collection, exchange, dissemination, review and analysis of data;
· improvement of the legal framework for resource utilisation, fisheries training and research;
· monitoring of the economic and social aspects of fisheries and aquaculture;
· and, in general, formulation of regional programmes
We are therefore more than convinced of the relevance of holding the present meeting. I am particularly happy to see that the items on the agenda will focus on precise goals for a productive and mutually advantageous co-operation between the countries of the southwestern region of the Indian Ocean.
I am certain that the work of the present meeting will be of a high quality and I remain confident regarding the debates on these observations. Your deliberations will undoubtedly be difficult, but selflessness and painstaking attention to the issues will lead you to positive outcomes.
I trust that the shortcomings of a cold Malagasy winter will melt in contact with the warmth of your willingness to succeed for a genuine regional co-operation. I wish you much courage.
Thank you.
I now open the Second Ad hoc Technical meeting on the Future of the South West Indian Ocean Committee from 11 to 12th July 2000 in Antananarivo.
Thank you.
