On the occasion of World Fisheries Day, 21 November 2016, FAO and the Holy See are holding a joint event to discuss labour conditions within the fisheries sector.

The event theme will be "Human trafficking and forced labour within the fishing sector and Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IUU). The violations of human rights of fishermen" and aims to raise awareness on the linkages between labour exploitation, IUU fishing and human rights of fish workers. Participants will be welcomed by the FAO Director General José Graziano Da Silva, who will provide the opening remarks, along with H.E. Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of His Holiness The Pope in Vatican City, Holy See. The discussion will be moderated by Mr. Árni M. Mathiesen, Assistant Director General, FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, who will open the discussion to representatives from the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People of the Vatican City, Seafarers Rights International and the International Labour Organization (ILO). The event will be relevant to all those interested in learning from a variety of perspectives on how to tackle human rights abuses and labour exploitation in the seafood sector.