The regional workshop One year later - The rehabilitation of fisheries and aquaculture in coastal communities of tsunami affected countries in Asia was organised by a consortium of regional fisheries/aquaculture bodies (CONSRN[1]) and was hosted by FAO at its Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok, Thailand from 30 to 31 March 2006. The meeting was attended by 40 participants including representatives from seven of the tsunami affected countries and representatives from the CONSRN consortium, donor agencies and NGOs.
A full list of participants is attached as Appendix B.
The workshop was opened by Mr He Changchui, Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, Bangkok. Firstly he reviewed the background and purpose of the formation of the CONSRN Consortium. He stated that this CONSRN workshop would review the issues that have emerged through the tsunami rehabilitation process and the outstanding needs for action. The workshop would be an opportunity to outline national strategies that had been put in place and how they would be implemented. The report of the workshop would outline progress towards rehabilitation as it related to the major elements of the CONSRN strategic framework for tsunami rehabilitation and offer the opportunity to communicate to the international community the needs for further work in the longer-term rehabilitation of tsunami affected communities.
Mr He noted the continuing importance of coordination and planning for longer-term rehabilitation and development despite the great progress made in the year following the tsunami. FAO stressed the need for a continued shared vision of a sustainable approach to reconstruction. Mr He asserted that those involved in tsunami rehabilitation must make sure that in restoring the livelihoods of those affected, the sustainable development of the fishery and aquaculture sectors and sound management of the natural resource base, such as coral reefs and mangrove forests, was assured.
The opening statement is attached in Appendix D.
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[1] Consortium to restore
shattered livelihoods of communities in tsunami affected nations (CONSRN). The
consortium comprises of the Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental
Organization (BOP-IGO), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations (FAO), the Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA), the
Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) and the WorldFish Center
(WorldFish). |
