On 24 March 2017, the new EAF-Nansen Programme Agreement, "Supporting the application of the ecosystem approach to fisheries management, considering climate and pollution impacts", was signed by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), the Institute of Marine Research (IMR) of Bergen, Norway and FAO. It is currently FAO's major initiative focusing on improving the knowledge base for and supporting the implementation of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF). The programme has its roots in the Nansen Programme, which supported improved knowledge of fisheries resources in developing countries using the research vessel Dr Fridtjof Nansen, beginning in the early 1970s; and the EAF-Nansen project, which began in the late 2000s, with a focus on Africa.

The EAF-Nansen Programme aims at consolidating the results of the previous phase and at addressing the multiple impacts of human activities, including overfishing, climate change and pollution, on fish stocks in particular and the marine environment in general, in order to preserve the productivity of the oceans for the benefit of future generations. The programme is served by a new research vessel, also called Dr Fridtjof Nansen, which continues to operate as a unique platform for knowledge generation, capacity development and research exchange.