16. When presenting this item, the Secretariat referred to Document No. 2 which summarizes the main regional cooperation mechanisms for aquaculture established during the past 20 years. It pointed out that, though the programmes, projects and other regional aquaculture cooperation mechanisms had made important contributions to training, research, transfer of technology, exchange of scientific and technical information and studies on various aspects of aquaculture, none had managed to last the course because of a lack of financing and commitment by the countries of the region.
17. By way of example, the Secretariat cited the case of the Regional Programme for the Development of Aquaculture in Latin America and the Caribbean (AQUILA) which had been financed by Italian cooperation and executed by FAO. Though a successful regional undertaking, this programme had had to cease in 1994 when the donor's funds ran out and it proved impossible to find other sources of financing or countries of the region willing to shoulder the costs of continuing the cooperation. The Secretariat therefore observed that examination of the establishment a new regional cooperation network for aquaculture should be based on new principles and ideas and the effective commitment of countries and should be premised on reliable indications that international organisms and/or donor countries would be willing to contribute funds for the maintenance of the network.
18. Finally, the Secretariat pointed out that the aquacultural sector had a promising future, that it had effectively contributed to economic growth in various countries of the region and that it had definite potential for alleviating poverty in deprived regions and contributing towards national objectives, such as food security in rural areas. Every effort should therefore be made to establish a regional cooperation network for the development of this activity that was important to the region.
19. During the discussions that followed the presentation of this item, the participants agreed that the efforts made during the last 20 years were clear indication that regional cooperation for the development of aquaculture was important and of interest to the countries of the region. In this regard, it was noted that the region's national bodies responsible for aquaculture had shown leadership and institutional strength in the early years of collaboration, but that this had declined in recent years and there was still a definite need to jointly resolve problems affecting the development of aquaculture.
20. The workshop also agreed that the different aquaculture cooperation mechanisms that had existed in the region had made a positive contribution to country objectives. In support of this view, many participants noted that, while the networks and other regional cooperation modalities could have been more efficient, they had unquestionably made valuable contributions to the training of technical personnel, the introduction of aquatic species, the exchange of information and technology, research and the solution of technical problems that had been affecting the development of aquaculture.
21. On the other hand, the workshop acknowledged that, despite the positive contributions of cooperation to the countries of the region, no sustainable cooperation mechanism has been established. Examples were given of cooperation mechanisms that had been established with support from countries or organizations outside the region but had been unable to continue activities when that support had ceased. The shortcomings of such cooperation mechanisms included the weakness of institutions responsible for aquaculture, the lack of aquaculture -and fishery- policies and the difficulties many countries experienced in adjusting to the impacts of globalization. It was also felt however that the potential benefits of globalization could translate, inter alia, into a greater trade in aquaculture products that satisfied the major national and international markets in terms of health, quality and safety, into better prices for producers and into incentives for higher investment, generating a situation of mutual benefit to consumers and producers alike.
22. The workshop also considered that the region's strong and rich diversity in natural resource endowment, level of economic development and social, cultural and institutional aspects was a key incentive for establishing a network as a valid mechanism for stimulating effective cooperation.
23. With respect to the sustainability of regional cooperation mechanisms for aquaculture, it was recommended that any workshop analysis of the feasibility of establishing a new body of this type should take past experiences into account and should focus in particular on the question of the sustainability of the new organization, which was where the conviction and the commitment of individual governments were essential elements.
