1. The second Ad hoc Technical Meeting on the Future of the Southwest Indian Ocean Committee was held at `Hotel La Residence', Antananarivo, Madagascar, on 11 and 12 July 2000, under the auspices of the FAO Subregional Office for Southern and East Africa and the FAO Office in Madagascar.
2. The Meeting was attended by 23 delegates from eight member countries of the former Committee and the European Community as well as an observer from a regional organization - the Commission de l'océan Indien (COI). The list of delegates and observers is given in Appendix C.
3. The Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources, the Hon. Abdallah Houssene, welcomed the delegates to Madagascar and officially opened the Meeting. In his opening speech, he traced the history of the former Committee for the Development and Management of fisheries resources in the South West Indian Ocean and the activities of FAO in the fisheries sector of the Region. Madagascar was supportive of the establishment of a regional fisheries body. The Honourable Mr Abdallah Houssene's speech is attached as Appendix D to the report.
4 During the opening ceremony, a statement was made on behalf of the Director-General of FAO, Mr Jacques Diouf, and the Subregional Representative for Southern and Eastern Africa, Ms Victoria Sekitoleko, by Mr Benedict Satia, Chief of the International Institutions and Liaison Service, FAO Fisheries Department.
5. Mr Satia referred to the importance of non-tuna fishery resources as a source of food security, employment and revenue for the Islands and East African States of the Region. Mr Satia recalled the results of the first ad hoc technical meeting held in Mauritius, 24-27 January 2000. The task of this meeting was to carefully revise a draft agreement to set up a regional body which is active, capable and responsive to the regions needs so that its fishery resources can be utilized sustainably now and the future. FAO would continue to work with the States throughout the establishment of the body and thereafter.
