CL 124/INF/13

Council

1. At its Twenty-ninth Session in November 1997, the FAO Conference, by Resolution 18/97, instituted the Margarita Lizárraga Medal to be awarded biennially by the Conference upon the proposal of the Council to a person or organization that has served with distinction in the application of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries.

2. The Medal pays tribute to the late Dr. Margarita Saucedo Lizárraga, Senior Fishery Liaison Officer for her decisive role in promoting the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, for her productive work in the field of fisheries for almost forty years, for her great dedication to FAO and for her strong commitment towards fostering the promotion of the fisheries sector, especially in developing countries.

3. The Selection Committee for the award, composed of the Assistant Director-General, Fisheries Department, and the Bureau of the Twenty-fourth Session of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI), met in Rome on 26 February 2003. The meeting was chaired by the Deputy Director-General, representing the Director-General.

4. The Selection Committee reviewed the ten nominations for the 2002-2003 biennium on the basis of the following criteria:

• Outstanding, practical and a hands-on contribution to the application of the Code;
• The output should be tangible;
• Be a sustained effort and not a one off initiative and;
• Have the potential for a snow-ball/catalytic effect.

5. The Selection Committee unanimously agreed to award the Margarita Lizárraga Medal to the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF).

6. The International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) is an international non-governmental organization based in Chennai, India. ICSF has, by its comprehensive, sustainable and catalytic initiatives through workshops, outreach and advocacy activities, mobilized grassroots support and enhanced human capacity building for the implementation of the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. Its information dissemination through its widely circulated flagship magazine SAMUDRA has increased awareness about the Code and contributed to national fishery policy formulation and implementation in accordance with the Code’s principles and articles.

7. The Council may wish to note that the Government of Mexico has agreed to provide additional financial resources to the Trust Fund that had been set up to help FAO award the Margarita Lizárraga Medal. In making this commitment, the Government of Mexico urges Member governments of FAO to join this initiative and thus provide additional funds to the Trust Fund.

SUGGESTED ACTION BY THE COUNCIL

8. The Council is invited to endorse the nomination of the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers and recommend that the Medal be presented to the representative of the NGO by the Director-General as part of the proceedings of the Thirty-second Session of the Conference.