Aquaculture for food and sustainable development

FAO Director-General QU Dongyu participated in the opening of the Global Conference on Aquaculture Millennium + 20 (GCA +20) on the theme “Aquaculture for food and sustainable development”. The hybrid event was jointly organized by FAO, the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) and the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA).

The FAO Director-General emphasized that aquaculture could play a key role in FAO's Hand-in-Hand Initiative to accelerate agri-food systems transformation. He stressed the important role of aquaculture in FAO's new Strategic Framework 2022-2031  and its focus on blue transformation. The Organization seeks to support a 35 to 40 percent growth in global aquaculture by 2030.

EU Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius joined the FAO Director-General during the opening of the conference. The Commissioner highlighted the role of the European Union’s Green Deal and its Farm to Fork Strategy in promoting the development of sustainable aquaculture. He also commented on the EU’s ongoing cooperation with FAO and partners in preparing FAO’s Global Guidelines for Sustainable Aquaculture, a document that was requested by FAO Members and will guide governments and policymakers on sustainable development based on the diverse conditions of aquaculture around the world.  

FAO Senior Aquaculture Officer Mathias Halwart presented the Shanghai Declaration to be adopted by the Conference, and stressed the importance of aquaculture’s contribution to protein intake, as well as micronutrients and Omega fatty acids, which are especially important for the food security of the poor. Fish and other aquatic products from aquaculture can and will play a major role in meeting the dietary demands of all people. The Shanghai Declaration of the GCA+20 outlines strategic pathways for aquaculture to contribute to the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, focusing on “leaving no one behind”.

You can read more on FAO’s work on aquaculture here.