Mr President of EAFE, Members of the Bureau, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good morning and welcome to Rome,
I am very pleased to welcome you here at the premises of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. We consider it an honour to host the Sixteenth Annual Conference of the European Association of Fisheries Economists (EAFE) here in Rome.
Since 1989, the EAFE has contributed considerably to the research on economics in fisheries and aquaculture in Europe. Its annual conferences have provided a useful forum to exchange the most up to date information on fisheries economics and to strengthen cooperation between scientists and institutes. The FAO recognizes the role of the economic research being undertaken by the scientists such as yourselves and, therefore, welcome the opportunity to provide you with the facilities to discuss your research here at the Organizations’ premises.
Let me briefly present to you the activities of FAO. I assume that most of you have visited our website and have seen the breath and depth of issues covered in the FAO documents and online databases. However, FAO is more than a repository for publications.
FAO is the organization of the United Nations, more specifically a Specialized Agency of the UN with a mandate in rural development and food security. Achieving food security for all is at the heart of FAO's efforts - to make sure people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives. FAO aims to raise levels of nutrition, improve agricultural and fisheries productivity, better the lives of rural populations and contribute to the growth of the world economy.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
FAO's Fisheries Department, which is one of six technical departments in the Organization, comprises over 70 professionals based here at FAO Headquarters and about a dozen in our regional offices and approximately 20 in field projects worldwide. Together with supporting staffs the Department houses about 200 people. Together we aim to promote long-term sustainable development and utilization of the world’s fisheries and aquaculture and to contribute to food security. Our three main pillars of work are directed towards:
Firstly - The promotion of responsible fisheries sector management at the global, regional and national levels, with priority given to the implementation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, Compliance Agreement on High Seas Fishing Vessels, and various international plans of action. Particular attention is paid to addressing problems of excess fishing capacity, combating Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing and the provision of advice for the strengthening of Regional Fishery Bodies.
Secondly - Increasing the contribution of responsible fisheries and aquaculture to world food supplies and food security. Following on the outcome of the 1995 Kyoto Conference on the Sustainable Contribution of Fisheries to Food Security and the two World Food Summits in 1996 and 2002, the Fisheries Department strives to improve the livelihoods of those working in the fisheries sectors through, for example, the improvement of harvest post-harvest practices and the development of trade opportunities for previously unexploited markets.
Thirdly - Global monitoring and strategic analysis of fisheries. Priority here is given to the gathering of fisheries data, development of databases, analysis of information and dissemination of information. I believe that all of you found in your welcome package copies of some of our key publications - the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and the 2002 version of The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture (SOFIA). The latter is published on a biennial basis.
As our colleague Mr Benedict Satia will explain to you in a moment, the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries was developed in the 1990s in collaboration with fisheries scientists, policy-makers and fisheries managers. It is the result of an increased awareness of the generally poor state of many of the world’s major fisheries, ineffective conservation and management practices, and the need to ensure long-term sustainable development in the fisheries sector. The FAO, as guardian of the Code, has overall responsibility to promote and coordinate its implementation. This can be greatly facilitated by improved cooperation in information exchanges and improved by progress towards comparable and complementary approaches to, and systems of, data collection and analysis. Not only is there a need for the exchange of information related to the impacts of management actions on the environment and resources but there is also the need for a better understanding of the effects of such measures on the various actors in the fisheries. Understanding these relationships will greatly assist in the development and implementation of national plans of action related to the Code.
Mr Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,
FAO believes in cooperation, networks, and partnerships to address together the needs in attaining our mutual sustainable development goals. In this regard, this Conference provides an opportunity to become acquainted with FAO’s activities, particularly in fisheries and would hopefully contribute to the promotion of research in those socio-economic areas of fisheries of critical importance to the sector.
The scope of this conference is wide; including descriptions of European fisheries and aquaculture production and value chains, the interactive effects of management options and environmental factors on fisheries, the current research trends in European universities, and the links between subsidies and international trade agreements. Underlying this seemingly varied range of topics is the goal of developing sustainable fisheries in an increasingly complex world in which the need to understand the legal, socio-economic, biological, cultural, and international context and interactions of every fishery is paramount. I am sure that you would address these issues in a constructive manner.
I would like to end this welcome statement by thanking the EAFE President and Bureau and the Scientific and Organizational Committees for their efforts in making this Conference possible. I hope that the Conference will be fruitful and will bring interesting new views and ideas to all of us and contribute to sustainable development of fisheries world-wide and in Europe in particular. Enjoy the presentations!
Thank you for your attention.
