Towards the UN Food Systems Summit: The vital role of fisheries and aquaculture

In the run-up to the United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) later this year, the European Parliament Intergroup on Climate Change, Biodiversity and Sustainable Development convened a discussion on the role of Fisheries and Aquaculture in the transformation of food systems.

Member of the European Parliament (MEP), Chair of the European Parliament Committee on Fisheries and Member of the European Parliamentary Alliance against Hunger and Malnutrition, Pierre Karleskind opened the session, explaining the need to recognize the importance of aquaculture and fisheries to ensuring livelihoods resilience, healthy nutrition and food security.

Director of the FAO Fisheries Division Manuel Barange showcased the various ways in which FAO connects Blue Transformation initiatives to the UN Food Systems Summit. He highlighted the great potential of fisheries and aquaculture to increase sustainable food production and spoke extensively about their contributions to the work of the Summit’s Action Tracks. He described various FAO and UN reports on fisheries and nutrition and presented the latest Committee on Fisheries (COFI) Declaration, which contains strong messages from Member countries on the most challenging fisheries issues.

Director for International Governance and Sustainable Fisheries at the European Commission Directorate General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE), Veronika Veits, emphasized the need for the UNFSS to recognize the importance of fisheries and aquaculture. She highlighted the challenges of malnutrition across the world, including within Europe and the importance of safeguarding fish stocks and promoting marine aquaculture as a way to reduce land use for food production. She explained that the reduction of water pollution, illegal fishing and the use of antimicrobials are key parts of the European Commission’s recovery programme which will be implemented in the coming years. “The recovery programme will also seek to better control and increase the traceability of EU fisheries and aquaculture and promote the development of organic fish farming,” she noted.

“Concerns and debates on the sustainability of food systems are at the top of the European Parliament’s agenda,” said MEP and Member of the European Parliamentary Alliance against Hunger and Malnutrition, Isabel Carvalhais.

Fellow MEP and Alliance Member Petros Kokkalis echoed the comments from Carvalhais, pointing to the potential of the ocean for food systems transformation and the importance of thinking of future generations, particularly those whose livelihoods will depend on fisheries and aquaculture.

Closing this exchange, Ricardo Serrão Santos, Portuguese Minister of Maritime Affairs, and former Member of the European Parliamentary Alliance against Hunger and Malnutrition, shared strong messages with the audience. He stressed the importance of food from the sea as a food source but also as a source of livelihoods for millions; and its crucial role in ending both hunger and poverty and achieving the sustainable development goals.

The recording of the session is available here.