FAO.org

Experts from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have returned to Honduras to provide the country with technical assistance within the framework of a project promoting sustainable fisheries and aquaculture.

The mission was held between 15 and 20 April 2024, under the project “Responsible Use of Fisheries and Aquaculture Resources for Sustainable Development” (GCP/GLO/352/NOR), funded by the Kingdom of Norway.

Through the mission, FAO experts assisted the country in updating the Fisheries Bill, reviewing its alignment with the FAO Agreement on Port State Measures (PSMA) and related  international instruments to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Once finalized, the new Fisheries Bill will be presented to the Honduran Parliament for its consideration.

During the same week, FAO experts held a two-day interagency cooperation exercise, which was attended by representatives from 12 different authorities in the country. This exercise raised awareness about the need of the involvement of multiple agencies to successfully implement port State measures in a country and to combat IUU fishing.

This mission was the fourth technical assistance mission by FAO in Honduras since 2023, as the country works towards becoming a Party to the PSMA.