Read-out of the FAO Director-General’s meeting with the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency Director-General, Manumatavai Tupou-Roosen
Rome - FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu today met Manumatavai Tupou-Roosen, Director-General of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency, on the sideline of the 35th Session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI), which is taking place from 5 to 9 September 2022.
Qu emphasized the commitment of FAO to support a consolidated partnership with the Small Island Developing States (SIDS), particularly in the area of fisheries and aquaculture.
In this regard, the FAO Director-General referred to the ongoing cooperation between FAO and the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency, focusing on the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA) and Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.
The Director-General of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency conveyed appreciation for FAO’s continued support and proposed to explore ideas for further cooperation, especially in the areas of food security, biodiversity and women empowerment, as well as climate change adaptation, building on the high potential of the fisheries and aquaculture sector in the Pacific countries.
The FAO Director-General highlighted the key role of the SIDS Forum in sharing experiences and exchanging ideas on how increased innovation and digitalization can help to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Both parties agreed to consolidate cooperation with the support of the FAO Office of Small Island Developing States, Least Developed Countries and Landlocked Developing Countries, and working closely with the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in support of food security objectives in the region.